SEA CHANGE
Green light for Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua to join Super Rugby
New Zealand rugby’s greatest Pacific Island leaders rejoiced as Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua yesterday gained conditional licences to join a 12-team Super Rugby competition next year.
Conditional licences signal work remains to finalise the respective business cases, keeping the celebratory kava on ice, but as far as the long overdue welcome of Pasifika teams and pathways into the mainstream elite, this was a landmark announcement.
While NZ Rugby and Rugby Australia are yet to fully agree terms on their respective five teams joining forces with Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua, an aboutface from here would be a major embarrassment for all involved.
Former All Blacks star and
Samoan coach Bryan Williams said the decision was “better now than never” after the arrival of professionalism cast Fiji, Samoa and Tonga as outsiders, excluding them from rugby’s top table.
“It’s been 25 years of a sense of grievance,” Williams reflected, noting that Samoa (1991, 1995) and Fiji (1987) made World Cup appearances before rugby went professional. The erosion of Pacific rugby is evident in Samoa’s 14th world ranking — two places behind Georgia.
“As you can imagine, there’s been a great sense of disappointment for so many. The journey has taken us to here,” Williams added.
Former All Blacks and Samoan star Michael Jones predicted Moana Pasifika — a joint Samoan and Tongan team — and Fijian Drua would be competitive within three years.
Having played for and coached Samoa outside his 55 tests for the All Blacks, and now serving on the NZ Rugby board, Jones — like Williams — has blended heritage.
“In this part of the world we probably see ourselves as the big brother or older cousin but we are intricately connected at so many levels with Pacific Island rugby,” Jones said. “I can assure you there’s dancing on the streets out there in many of the villages in the Pacific.
“Come 2022 the mystique, flavour, everything that Pacific rugby brings will be evident to spice up that new tournament. It’s going to have a look, feel and touch like never before.
“We go with a great amount of passion and confidence into the future. These become pathways for young aspiring Pacific men and, eventually, a women’s programme.
“I’m a true believer that rugby is a vehicle for transformation empowerment — I am a byproduct of that.”
Moana Pasifika will be based in South Auckland and play home matches at Mt Smart Stadium — causing major concerns for the Blues. Fijian Drua are expected to be based in Suva.
Moana Pasifika co-chairman Pelenato Sakalia choked back tears as he thanked NZ Rugby for their bold decision to back the Pacific teams.
“The empowerment model is something Moana Pasifika and Fiji will embrace,” Sakalia said. “It’s in our blood. It’s what we do. We have the people. We have the numbers and, more importantly, we have the diverse skill sets to make this a reality.”
NZ Rugby’s formal backing allows Moana Pasifika to fast-track negotiations with private investors as they attempt to raise around $10 million to fund the team annually — more than half of which will be spent on coaching, management and players. The teams will also share $2.3m in annual funding from World Rugby, guaranteed for an initial three years, and they will split an expected $5m in broadcast revenue.
“This clarity now enables us to conclude our investment discussions. The impact of the board coming out so clearly puts a stake in the ground,” Sakalia said.
“We need to have all our agreements unconditional by the end of June. We need to have real clarity around our playing roster, management, coaches, sponsors by then.”
In a matter of months, the first major step in Pacific rugby’s rebuild could be a reality.