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Moana Pasifika unveil supercharged 2025 squad

Ardie Savea of New Zealand celebrates scoring his team's second try during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between Ireland and New Zealand at Stade de France on October 14, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Moana Pasifika are set for a big 2025 season, with star power injected into the mix in the form of reigning World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea among others.

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Stars of the recent Pacific Nations Cup like Tonga’s Patrick Pellegrini and Samoa’s Tuna Tuitama and Melani Matavao are also new inclusions to the club, along with former Wallaby Pone Fa’amausili.

Moana Pasifika head coach Tana Umaga is looking to build on an improved 2024 season and “bust the door open” in 2025.

“It’s exciting, we’ve got a new group of players and a new group of staff coming on board in 2025 for Moana Pasifika. I think the calibre of all these people is going to lift Moana Pasifika from where we’ve been,” Umaga said.

“The likes of Ardie Savea, Pone Fa’amausili, Solomon Alaimalo, Jackson Garden-Bachop. These guys who are experienced in Super Rugby will add to the experience we’ve already got that took us to where we got to last year.

“We had some close games last year where we could compete for long minutes. I think if we had some more experience in certain areas then we might’ve been able to turn those games into wins.

“We’ve got a lot of young players coming through too. Tito Tuipulotu is coming through and some of these guys who had a season with injury like Miracle Faiilagi who didn’t play as much as he wanted to last year.

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“We’ve also got some seasoned campaigners that have been part of our movement for a long time. Like Jonathan Taumateine and Danny Toala who have grown up in the Moana Pasifika environment. They know what it’s about and feel a real big part of that.”

Young budding stars like Kyren Taumoefolau and Miracle Faiilagi are also back to inject some youthful energy into the team.

“We want to play a style that suits us and represents who we are and where we come from. As a byproduct of that, we want to develop our young people to live good lives,” Umaga says.

“We know we’re in a competitive market here and we want to be competitive. We’ll enjoy it with our Pacific way and making sure that culture is at the forefront of that.”

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Moana Pasifika 2025 squad

Abraham Pole – Lapaha, Fua’amotu (Tongatapu). Funga Fonua (‘Eua) & Ha’apai (Tonga)

Alamanda Motuga – Sataoa & Sa’anapu (Samoa)

Allan Craig* – Ahipara, New Zealand

Ardie Savea* – Siumu, Luatuanu’u, Falesiu-uta (Samoa)

Chris Apoua* – Salamumu & Fasito’o Uta (Samoa)

Irie Papuni – Kolomotu’a & Ha’ateiho (Tongatapu) (Tonga)

James Lay – Sasina & Safotu (Samoa)

Lotu Inisi – Longoteme (Tongatapu) & Fangale’ounga (Ha’apai) (Tonga). Falelatai (Samoa)

Michael Curry* –  Faatoia & Taufusi (Samoa)

Miracle Faiilagi – Vailele & Uafato (Samoa)

Ofa Tauatevalu – Pangaimotu (Vava’u) (Tonga)

Ola Tauelangi – Vaini (Tongatapu) (Tonga)

Pone Fa’amausili* -Malie & Vailoa Palauli (Samoa)

Samiuela Moli – Te’ekiu (Tongatapu) & Leimatu’a (Vava’u) (Tonga)

Samuel Slade – Sapunaoa, Vailoa & Palauli (Samoa)

Sama Malolo – Siusega & Salelologa (Samoa)

Semisi Paea – Falaleu (Vava’u), Houmakelikao (Tongatapu) (Tonga)

Sione Havili Talitui – Pangai, Nomuka (Ha’apai) Tofoa (Tongatapu) Niuafo’ou (Tonga)

Sione Mafileo* – Hofoa (Tongatapu) & Longomapu (Tonga)

Tomasi Maka – Longoteme & Holopeka (Ha’apai) (Tonga)

Tito Tuipulotu* – Togafuafua, Manono, Vaiee, Apolima, Satufia, Satupa?itea (Samoa)

Tom Savage – Havering (England)

Aisea Halo – Puke, Lakepa (Tonga Tapu), Leimatua, Ta’anea (Vava’u), Fatai, Koulo, Holopeka (Ha’apai) (Tonga)

Danny Toala – Faleasi’u & Lotofaga (Samoa)

Fine Inisi – Longoteme (Tongatapu) & Fangale’ounga (Ha’apai) (Tonga). Falelatai (Samoa)

Jackson Garden-Bachop* – Ng?ti Awa, Moerai (Rurutu, French Polynesia), Turangi, Titikaveka and Ngatangiia (Rarotonga), Lalomanu (Samoa)

Jonathan Taumateine – Nofoali’i & Satapuala (Samoa)

Julian Savea – Siumu, Luatuanu’u & Falesiu Uta (Samoa)

Kyren Taumoefolau* – Tu`anekivale (Vava`u) & Ha’afeva  (Ha’apai) (Tonga)

Lalomilo Lalomilo – Falefa, Sinamoga, Safotu, Salailua (Samoa)

Losi Filipo* – Salemoa (Samoa)

Melani Matavao* – Fasito’o-Uta & Lauli’i (Samoa)

Neria Fomai – Lepuia’i Manono Tai & Magiagi (Samoa)

Patrick Pellegrini* – Tatakamotonga (Tonga)

Pepesana Patafilo – Magiagi & Vailima (Samoa)

Solomon Alaimalo* – Vaigaga, Apolima, Sa’anapu, Saasaai (Samoa)

Tuna Tuitama* – Mulifanua & Faleasiu (Samoa)

William Havili – Sopu, Kolomatu’a (Tonga)

*Denotes new player

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Comments

4 Comments
L
LP 8 days ago

Does anyone know what the language after players names means?

W
Wiseguy 8 days ago

The village and island they or their ancestors are from.

C
CO 8 days ago

What's the commercial turnover for this team as perennial basement dwellers? Fingers crossed super rugby can get the South African teams back to lift the standard.

J
JW 9 days ago

Losi the wellington winger? Hope some of the boys regain their mojo, Slade was on fire last season, hopefully lots start on fire next season. Even with a more solid squad players can build into form as well. DIdn't Solomon play NRL this season? Would be great if he's playing well enough again to take over at the back from Havili.

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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