NZ Maori to play Moana Pasifika team

THIS year’s domestic season will officially enter into its 12th month.

Well, apart from a big break in the middle.

New Zealand Rugby announced yesterday it was staging a game between the Maori All Blacks and a Moana Pasifika team in Hamilton on December 5.

It will be the only game of the season for the Maori All Blacks who were set to play earlier in the year before the Covid19 oandemic hit.

Clayton McMillan, who has coached the Maori team since 2017, will again take charge of the team.

The Pasifika side will be coached by Tana Umaga.

NZR said the selection of the Moana Pasifika side was another step on a journey towards a shared desire to enter a Pasifika team in a future professional competition.

The Moana Pasifika group has secured players of Pasifika heritage, made up of current and former international players, and several players eligible for international Pasifika teams.

The Moana Pasifika squad will be announced later this month.

The match will start at

7.05pm.

Super Rugby started in New Zealand on January 31 this year but was put on hold from March to June because of the Covid19 pandemic.