Pacific teams face off
WELLINGTON, New Zealand The two teams that put the Pacific into Super Rugby Pacific opened their 2024 seasons with losses last weekend but have a chance to atone when they play each other in Melbourne tomorrow.
The Fijian Drua lost to the Auckland-based Blues and Moana Pasifika lost to the Dunedinbased Highlanders in round one, dashing hopes of a bolder start to a new season. But both teams showed promise they hope will develop as the season continues and have a chance to show improvement Saturday amid Super Rugby’s “Super Weekend” when all matches are played in Melbourne.
Moana Pasifika led the Highlanders 18-14 at halftime in their first-round match under the roof in Dunedin before losing 35-21. The Auckland-based team under new head coach Tana Umaga looked tidy and well-drilled early but lapsed in the second half and Umaga acknowledged a tendency to switch off late in games.
“It’s obviously an area that we saw last year that we knew we had to rectify,” Umaga said. “You can’t play at this level and compete for 30-40 minutes. We probably still fell off a cliff at the end there. We can get better at that.”
Moana Pasifika’s first-up performance may look better in context as the season goes on. The Highlanders are a team with potential and look capable of stretching some of the better teams in the tournament as the season goes on.
The same can be said of the Drua. The Blues were not at the best last weekend but when they are and with their full All Black complement available they might be the team to beat this season.
Umaga believes his team’s performance will look better in hindsight and provides a good starting point for their third season in Super Rugby Pacific.
“We’re proud of the effort,” he said. “I don’t think anyone would have thought that halftime score would have been what it was, leading into the game. We’ve just got to bank more minutes and more moments together.”
Drua coach Mick Byrne also believes his team can take positives out of their loss to the Blues. The Fijian side made a solid start but was heavily punished for lapses of discipline early in the match and couldn’t come back from a halftime deficit.
“Look back at the first 25 (minutes). We made 23 phases to start the game and we dropped it on the line and then proceeded to give away penalties in the next 25 minutes so that’s something we need to fix,” Byrne said.
“We carried well, we had the momentum going into the first part of the game. It would have been nice to cross the line there, start the game like that so we need to look at that too. Discipline. We gave away eight penalties in the first 25. It’s a tough kick from there.”
The clash between Moana Pasifika and the Drua is one of the highlights of the Super Weekend which will be played in a city where rugby is on life-support. Home team the Rebels have a chance to lift their fans’ spirits when they face the Western Force today.
Both teams suffered heavy losses in their first-round matches; the Rebels at the hands of the ACT Brumbies and the Perthbased Force at home to the Hurricanes.
First-round winners the Blues and Highlanders kick off the weekend. The Christchurchbased Crusaders began the season with a loss to the Hamilton-based Chiefs in a reversal of last year’s final and now face the New South Wales Waratahs in the second match of the season between New Zealand and Australian teams.
The Waratahs started with a loss to the Queensland Reds who now face the Hurricanes. The Chiefs take on the Brumbies in perhaps in the best match of the weekend on Sunday.
Look back at the first 25 (minutes). We made 23 phases to start the game and we dropped it on the line and then proceeded to give away penalties in the next 25 minutes so that’s something we need to fix
– Mick Byrne