Mauger wants ‘patience, control, composure’
Discipline in an area that Moana Pasifika head coach Aaron Mauger is dealing with his current players.
Mauger told Planet Rugby, that before today’s Super Rugby Pacific clash against the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua in Sydney, he had to rule out two key players for breaching the team’s protocol.
Centre Levi Aumua and secondrow Samuel Slade are not be involved in today’s clash, with the club not revealing any information on the incident.
Mauger says the decision emphasised the team commitment to their standard and discipline but confirmed it was not a serious misconduct.
“Our team is a new team and it’s really important we uphold the highest standards of discipline,” Mauger told Stuff.
“People make mistakes, young men make mistakes and they often find themselves in situations they get wrong.
“But there has got to be a consequence for that. It’s not a serious misconduct, but it’s enough for these two guys to stand down for a week and make sure they learn the lesson.”
Making it right
Mauger says that both players have accepted their punishment and believes it is a good reminder of their team ethos.
“Both guys have owned it,” he said.
“They know they slipped up and they’re both quality men.
“They’ve been two of our best rugby players all year and they know they got it wrong, so there was a consequence coming.
“It’s what we’re about. A lot of the things we talk about on the field, about discipline, control and patience and all the things that will help us become a better rugby team.
“That doesn’t start on the field, it starts with how we are with everything we do.
“It sends a message with what we’re about and I know those guys will make it right, they both trained outstandingly today.
“It’s made them hungry and it’s a good reminder for everybody of what we’re about as a team.”
Pacific celebration
Today’s match is the first ever game between Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua, both newcomers in Super Rugby Pacific.
“It’s a celebration of both teams’ inclusion into Super Rugby and we’re on a very similar jersey,” Mauger said.
“I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting occasion and two teams that are pretty evenly matched. It will be a great spectacle for our fans.”
Mauger is looking for more “patience, control and composure” from his side that have been close to winning their last two games.
“The big focus through our review was that we’ve been in a position the last couple of weeks to win both games by 15-20 points and the lesson there is around patience, control and composure,” Mauger said.
“We were building a lot of pressure inside the Waratahs 22 and we rushed things at times. That’s a little bit down to experience, but that will get better.
“In both weeks we’ve dropped the ball over the line and the outcomes change.
“They are fine margins, but we believe there is a lot more in our control through the quality of our own game where we can really put those teams away.
“But we’ve got to do that, there’s no point in talking about it, we’ve got to put it into action.
“It was a pretty similar view to the previous week and our boys were really disappointed that they’d let it slip.
“If you look at the first 30 minutes we played against the Waratahs, it was probably as good as nearly any team has played all year.
“We were really dominant and barring a couple of opportunities where we let them in, it was an outstanding performance against a quality side.”
Ratu Kiniviliame Narokete, father of Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua lock Doreen Narokete, has urged parents to support their daughters if they have decided to play rugby.
Yesterday, the Narokete family in Raiwaqa celebrated their daughter’s contribution to the Drua’s Super W win and it coincided with her 20th birthday. They also hosted winger Vitalina Naikore in a joint celebration.
Ratu Kiniviliame indicated that his only daughter was always hardworking.
Hailing from the chiefly village of Tavuki, Kadavu, Doreen shares maternal links to Batiki in Lomaiviti. She attended John Wesley Primary School and later John Wesley College.
“She started playing when she
was 16-years-old; played touch rugby and went to the 2019 World Cup,” he said.
Narokete started playing rugby with Nadi Aviators when her father worked there.
“She was selected from there to join Saiasi Fuli’s extended squad but did not make it. She was then picked by Fijiana 15s coach Senirusi Seruvakula.
“I have always encouraged her that there is nothing impossible to God,” Ratu Kiniviliame said.
“There has been a lot of challenges along the way but with God we can overcome. I have been supporting her since she started playing; going to every tournament and it has not been easy.
“To parents, if you know your children are talented players, we should show our support for them in every way but always teach them to depend on God,” he added.