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Just eight places remaining in 2022 Moana Pasifika squad

(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Moana Pasifika have revealed they have only eight spots left on their roster for their inaugural campaign in next year’s Super Rugby Pacific.

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Since being granted an unconditional licence to join the competition in July, Moana Pasifika have recruited heavily ahead of its debut campaign with franchise expected to complete 30 of its 38 squad signings by the end of the week.

“We’ve got 30 players that we’ll be signing on the dotted line this week, so that leaves eight further spots to be filled,” Moana Pasifika interim chief executive Pelenato Sakalia said, as per RNZ.

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      “We’ll take our time on filling those eight additional spots, but I’d like to think we’ve broken the back of the squad, [because] 30 out of 38 is quite a significant chunk.”

      Sakalia added that a number of stand-by players have been identified, and said the contracted players will be announced in due course.

      The Moana Pasifika squad will then assemble for its pre-season campaign in mid-December, which has been delayed from its initial November kick-off date as a result of the extension of the NPC season due to New Zealand’s Covid-19 outbreak.

      “Essentially from a Moana Pasifika, from an assembling point of view, you lose between four to six weeks, but that’s Covid, that’s just the way it is and you’ve got to adjust,” said Sakalia.

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      “The commencement of the Super Rugby Pacific date doesn’t change, but our window for pre-season does shrink considerably.”

      Meanwhile, Super Rugby Pacific’s other expansion franchise, the Fijian Drua, are also expected to name its players and coaching staff in the coming weeks, with most of their personnel to be based out of Fiji.

      However, Fijian Drua interim chief executive Brian Thorburn said that the delayed confirmation of the franchise’s involvement in Super Rugby Pacific hindered the side’s ability to sign marquee players from abroad.

      As a result, much of the squad is expected to be made up of locally-based talent, although Thorburn said there will be instances where foreigners will be called on to fill roster spots, despite the Drua’s aim having a whole squad of Fijian-eligible players.

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      “We’ll have to contract the odd what we call a joker, where somebody whose not otherwise eligible to play for Fiji, might have to fill an area of weakness for us,” he said, as per RNZ.

      “Our aspiration is for every player that plays for the Drua to be eligible for national duty, but in some cases we’ll have to compromise that for the first year or two.”

      The Drua, who will be based out of Australia during its first season in Super Rugby Pacific, will begin their pre-season campaign in mid-October after undergoing a two-week quarantine in their adopted home nation.

      “We are going to be marching into a quarantine camp in Australia in the middle of October, we’ll put them through a couple of weeks of quarantine and then we’ll have a three-month solid hit out with them to prepare physically, mentally, tactically, ready to hit the park come February.”

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      claire forlani 1 hour ago
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      JW 1 hour ago
      Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

      These kids have been playing in leagues comparable to SR, not the NPC

      The likes of games these guys get introduced to are closer to NPC than SR.


      This is the team Sam played with in his first Leinster game;

      Ed BYRNE

      Tadgh MCELROY

      Tom CLARKSON

      Alex SOROKA

      Brian DEENY

      James CULHANE

      Will CONNORSE

      Max DEEGAN

      Nick MCCARTHY

      Sam PRENDERGAST

      Dave KEARNEY

      Ben BROWNLEE

      Liam TURNER

      Tommy O'BRIEN

      Chris COSGRAVE

      It’s too short, not as competitive and there are (usually) no test players in that comp.

      You’re talking about something else altogether, sure, I’m not saying people around the world want to watch the NPC, but locally its just the same with a large amount of internationals playing, even All Blacks.

      The evidence the NPC is not on par is in the U20 WC. SH sides haven’t won it since 2017

      You obviously have had very little exposure to New Zealand rugby. The NPC is made up all the Super Rugby players, plus the club battlers trying to get a gig. Far above u20 rugby level.

      Guys like Attisogbe, Gazzotti and Louis BB were in those sides. They were Top14 regulars at the time and are test players now.

      What you need to understand is that NZ rugby is not like France, basically the complete opposite. AB jerseys are not just handed out like that and there is very little room for u20 as every player in these squads is battling for an AB jersey basically. Super Rugby only has 5 teams, not 14. Sure, you can argue more exposure is better, but season length is not going to do that, you just have to get onboard with how NZ does it. They are the best after all.

      NZ used to chuck talented youngsters in at the deep end in SR. Carter, McCaw and quite a few others from the 2011 and 2015 WC winning teams were in SR at 20, 21 and ABs a year later.

      You are definitely star struck. I like it, reminds me of playing Championship Manager. It’s no different now, heard of Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai, Noah Hotham? NZ was one of the youngest squads going around and a good number of 20/21 yo’s coming into SR each year.


      You don’t want players under pressure at that age, hence what teams do in those comps I mentioned. NZ definitely takes that to a different level for 17/18 yo, and even younger, but when you hear what happens to them when you don’t, I think that’s the right path.

      150 Go to comments
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