Moana Pasifika vs Fijian Drua: Ardie's Angels, a name so nice you can say it twice

A fan favourite fixture kicked off Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific slate in Auckland: Moana Pasifika hosted the Fijian Drua with crucial competition points up for grabs as the playoffs creep closer.

It was a slow start to a usually high-tempo contest, but that anticipated attacking flare came into play before the first half could conclude, and it was the hosts who were to thank.

A hard-hitting contest was ultimately decided by Moana Pasifika’s execution, although fans were robbed of one of the tries of the year when Ardie Savea’s effort was ruled out due to a prior knock-on.

The win keeps Moana Pasifika tantalisingly on the fringes of the playoff picture, while the Drua have edged closer still to a wooden spoon finish.

Here are four takeaways from the contest.

Super Rugby needs to officially recognise the Battle of the Pacific 

The Brumbies and Hurricanes’ rivalry has been formalised with a cup and a regular ANZAC weekend fixture, It’s a great move by the competition to recognise the past, present and future the teams have shared and are yet to share, as well as paying respect to the relationship between New Zealand and Australia.

Cups that recognise the unique character and history of certain rivalries are a great evolution of Super Rugby Pacific, and if the higher-ups are looking to expand the idea, they should look no further than the Battle of the Pacific.

For obvious reasons, this contest is a special one in this competition, and while the introduction of any cup should be a considered choice founded on heritage among many other factors, this clash has all the hallmarks of an iconic fixture.

There are plenty of great players who could be recognised as the namesake of a potential Cup, not least of which being current Moana Pasifika coach Tana Umaga. Jonah Lomu, Sir Bryan Williams and Sir Michael Jones also come to mind.

There’s also the option of tapping into the long history between the island nations by naming the Cup ‘Moso’s Cup’, after the giant footprints in Samoa and Fiji, said to have been made by a giant who stepped from one island to the other.

22m Entries

Avg. Points Scored

2.8

12

Entries

Avg. Points Scored

1.5

8

Entries

Ardie’s Angels

There are only so many trios as destructive as Moana Pasifika’s loose forward unit of Miracle Faiilagi, Ardie Savea and Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa.

Faiilagi has been in bruising form close to the line in 2025, scoring five tries heading into tonight’s contest and adding two more by the night’s end. Tupou Ta’eiloa added one himself before Savea crossed in dramatic fashion, collecting his own chip kick only to have the effort scratched from the ledger due to a prior knock-on.

A competitive season on the park is reflected fairly in the season standings, and finishing power has proven invaluable in separating contenders from pretenders.

Moana Pasifika may be flirting with the bottom of the table, but they entered this contest just six points shy of a playoff berth. Their proximity to a maiden postseason is in large part thanks to that finishing power up front.

Drua their own worst enemy

The Fijian Drua spill as much ball as anyone in Super Rugby Pacific and were guilty of just shy of 20 turnovers in this one, despite conditions being clear.

For a team that leads the competition in linebreaks and carry metres, there is simply no reason to have scored the fewest points all season.

Isikeli Rabitu was on fire in this contest, staking his claim on the 12 jersey in his first start there in Super Rugby Pacific, but the 20-year-old’s efforts yielded little reward on the scoreboard.

In saying this, what’s interesting about the Drua when comparing this season to last is they’re actually scoring more points per game than they did a season ago, when they made the playoffs as the seventh seed. Albeit a narrow improvement of just 0.8 points.

The Drua’s struggles highlight the remarkable shift in the Super Rugby landscape, with more scoring and better execution seeing all sides take leaps in the right direction while the Drua have been left in the dust.

There’s no room for stagnation in this evolving competition.

A name so nice you can say it twice

Lalomilo Lalomilo was cooking-cooking in Auckland on Saturday afternoon, dominating the contact and beating defenders at will.

While many eyes were peeled on the Moana bench, hoping to see Julian Savea enter the game to join his brother on the field for the first time this season, the 26-year-old was keeping busy on both sides of the ball.

The Samoan international broke the game open with multiple carries and made an impressive 15 defensive stops, too.

When the game started as a slow-burn, it was the centre who injected life into the contest with his carries in the midfield and on the edge. Lalomilo beat four defenders and boasted a linebreak and try assist to his name by the night’s end.