Moana Pasifika vs Waratahs: Suaalii stars and stutters, another Moana blitz

Moana Pasifika and the Waratahs entered their round-eight collision coming off polar opposite results in round seven, but each had a point to prove.

The Waratahs, fresh off by far their worst loss of the season in Wellington, were eager to respond and did just that in a strong first half. However, the second period was one-way traffic for Moana Pasifika, fresh off a historic win in Chrsitchurch, who ran in six tries to come away with a resounding 45-28 win.

Here are some takeaways.

Moana’s Achilles heel

In a game where the hosts were struggling to play in the right areas of the field early, Moana needed their set-piece game to stand up. It didn’t.

Overthrows and scrum penalties stung Tana Umaga’s team early, and allowed the Waratahs to apply further pressure – both territorially and on the scoreboard.

It was in the second half, when the experience of Sama Mololo and Chris Apoua entered the fray, that Moana’s set-piece started to function with dangerous accuracy, and the team were able to turn the tide of the game.

All winning rugby teams need a strong platform, and once Moana got that, their game hit another gear.

Moana a nuisance on defence

One-time All Black James Parsons shared some analysis of Moana Pasifika’s defensive strategy pre-game, highlighting how the team hold players up in the tackle to give their breakdown threats the chance to position themselves for when the ball is taken to ground.

The strategy was highly effective in the win over the Crusaders last week and was so again this afternoon against the Waratahs.

Even when there was no contest for possession at ruck time, the strength of the Moana defenders was able to slow play down and give their defensive line time to set.

Superb carries from the likes of Rob Leota and Langi Gleeson saw the Wallabies loose forwards hit the ball at pace and proved too powerful for Moana to hinder, but the Waratahs didn’t have enough firepower to generate consistent go-forward.

Moana are using their muscle to great effect, and while they are unable to consistently put in 80-minute performances, they are certainly consistent at producing 40-minute bursts of superb rugby.

Teams are feeling the playoff pinch already

Only six teams will make the playoffs in this uber-competitive 2025 season, and that fact has quality sides on the ropes early.

While we are only at the halfway point of this campaign, there is next to no room for error, and that pressure was seemingly felt by both teams on Saturday afternoon on Auckland’s North Shore.

It was a scrappy first half, with handling errors aplenty as both outfits struggled to find their rhythm.

The Waratahs are no doubt keenly aware of the perilous nature of their current standing on the Super Rugby Pacific table, clinging to their fifth-place position by a narrow margin, and played like they were afraid of losing that spot.

Moana Pasifika also looked scratchy early as they chased a spot in the top six, something they achieved by the game’s end with more confident play.

Suaalii stars and stutters

The diamonds may be multi-carat extravaganzas, but the rocks of Jospeh Suaalii’s performance kindled unnecessary pressure for the Waratahs.

Suaalii showed out for large stretches of this game in the fullback jersey, but also proved why Joe Schmidt brought him into the midfield for his international debut back in November.

On one hand, the 21-year-old made just two kicks in play during this game, and neither of them made his side much ground. On the other, the young superstar was a game-breaking force with the ball in hand, making and creating linebreaks as well as setting up a game-high three tries.

If he can develop more of a kicking game, perhaps Schmidt would be comfortable backing Suaalii in the backfield, but against the British and Irish Lions, the coach will be reluctant to take any risks.

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Take a bow, Feleti Sae-Ta’ufo’ou 

The 22-year-old prop was yet to score in his rookie Sugby Pacific season heading into this contest but emerged with a hat trick.

The man-mountain may have struggled against Wallaby Angus Bell in the scrum, but in open play, especially close to the line, he was unstoppable.

Sae-Ta’ufo’ou’s power saw him overcome defenders consistently in the game, adding another string to the bow of this already powerful Moana attack.

The humble Manawatu product will take plenty of confidence from the game, having played a starring role in his side’s victory.

Beastly No. 8s collide

Possibly the two most damaging ball-runners in Super Rugby Pacific lined up against one another under the North Shore sun on Saturday.

Langi Gleeson and Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa have been bullying defences for their respective outfits this season, both appearing in the top 5 list for total carries in 2025, and every collision between the two sent shockwaves through the stadium.

Gleeson topped the tackle count for the game, while Ta’eiloa got the better of his opposite when it came to metres run with the ball in hand. The Moana bruiser also claimed a try during his side’s second-half onslaught.

While Ta’eiloa was a late addition to this Moana team in pre-season, he’s proving to be one of the best signings of the year, and Gleeson is mounting a good case to see minutes against the Lions.