An undermanned Moana Pasifika have capped off their potential final match with a stirring victory, upsetting the finals-bound ACT Brumbies 21-19. The Super Rugby Pacific club was placed into liquidation on Monday after their current owners announced they would not continue to fund the franchise beyond 2026. Unless a last-minute saviour emerges, the club, only introduced in 2022, will fold and the competition will shrink to 10 teams in 2027.
Players celebrated a rare win before coming together with staff to mark the occasion with an emotionally charged hymn. Coach Tana Umaga said: 'With all that had happened during the week, in terms of Moana going into liquidation, we knew we wouldn't see a lot of our group that we left behind. We talked a lot about our strong purpose of who we represent. We're representing our culture, our people, and we saw that come through in the end.'
Pasifika (2-12) snapped a 12-game losing streak to avoid a record-equalling 13th loss. The victory wasn't smooth sailing, as the Brumbies led both on the scoreboard and numerically when inside centre Faletoi Peni was sent off in the second half. However, substitute Melani Matavao stormed over in the 73rd minute to claim victory.
The Brumbies (7-7) needed a big bonus-point win to move as high as fourth on the ladder, but instead will settle for sixth. Their faltering lineout and errors will concern coach Stephen Larkham as they face the table-topping Hurricanes next, needing a win to secure a berth in a qualifying final.
