MAUGER TO STEER MOANA
FORMER All Blacks centre Aaron Mauger was appointed head coach of Super Rugby newcomers Moana Pasifika on Thursday as the team prepare for their debut season next year.
Mauger, who played 45 Tests for New Zealand, has previously coached the Otago Highlanders in Super Rugby and Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership.
The 40-year-old said he was excited at the prospect of working with Aucklandbased Moana Pasifika, which had been set up to give a professional pathway for players from island nations such as Samoa and Tonga.
“This is an opportunity to be part of something very special,” Mauger said.
The revamped Super Rugby competition next year includes the Pasifika team, fellow rookies Fijian Drua, as well as five sides apiece from Australia and New Zealand.