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Super Rugby Pacific performers of the week round nine
By Adam Julian
The ninth round of Super Rugby Pacific saw the Crusaders replace the Chiefs at the top of the table, while all four Aussie sides would make the playoffs on current standings.
The Warathas gusty win over the Chiefs was a genuine surprise. The Brumbies eventually discovered their best form of the season against the Reds.
Here are four of the best performers from round nine of Super Rugby Pacific.
Ioane Moananu (Crusaders)
Some charitable refereeing spared the Hurricanes an even larger loss against the Crusaders than their 31-24 defeat at Sky Stadium on Friday night.
The Crusaders were up 31-10 before yellow cards to Ethan Blackadder (68th minute) and Antonio Shalfoon (70th minute) allowed the hosts to launch a furious comeback.
Before the carnage of the last ten minutes the Crusaders were vastly superior physically with robust hooker Ioane Moananu to the fore scoring a try to make it four in his last three games.
The Crusaders’ lineout performed with a hundred percent (17/17) efficiency compared with the Hurricanes, who surrendered four throws.
Moananu is similar in size and approach to Asafo Aumua, and he overshadowed the incumbent All Black with his precise, punishing display.
Moananu’s numbers, three tackles and four carries, don’t do justice to his cannon-like collisions into the breakdowns and his overwhelming physical presence that included his 16th-minute runaway.
“You look at him and he’s reminiscent of that type of player [Taukei’aho]. He’s got an unbelievable skill set and you would have seen him kick the ball a couple of times. He’s not afraid to,” Crusaders coach Rob Penny told Sky Sport afterwards.
He’s 24, he’s been with us for three years now. Dan Perrin picked him up out of Counties, gave him an opportunity and he’s just grown into the role and you’re seeing the manifestation of a period of time and confidence given to a young bloke in an environment that is pretty stacked.
“To last, you have to be worthy and he’s proved it week in and week out that he belongs.”
Moananu scored a try on his debut for the Crusaders in a 24-25 loss to Fijian Drua in Suva. He scored another try the following week to help the Crusaders avoid an embarrassing defeat to the Melbourne Rebels (36-27).
He was only seen once more in that championship-winning season, and that was in a routine 41-7 win against Moana Pasifika.
He played another three games in 2024 and has featured eight times this season. He has played 22 games for Counties in the NPC and scored nine tries
Moananu grew up admiring double Rugby World Cup-winning South Auckland All Black Keven Mealamu (132 Tests, 114 wins).
Moananu is a product of De La Salle College, Auckland. In 2018, De La Salle won the Under 15 Auckland championship with one of the strongest age group teams ever assembled. All Blacks and World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year Wallace Sititi, All Blacks Sevens representatives Kitioni Vai and Sofai Maka, and Vaolini Ekuasi (Western Force) were all members of the squad.
Joseph Aukuso Suaalii (Waratahs)
The Warathas preserved their unbeaten home record in 2025, blunting the top-of-the-table Chiefs 21-14 in Sydney.
The Warathas had conceded 16 tries and 102 points in back-to-back defeats to the Hurricanes and Moana Pasifika.
Still, they jumped to an early lead before foiling a herculean 28 phases with 14 players, five minutes after regulation time had expired, to prevail against the Chiefs for the first time since 2016.
In his first start, Jamie Adamson made 26 tackles, but it was Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i who had the most profound impact. He beat four defenders after 20 minutes to score the first try of the match and was involved in the creation of two other tries, one of which was scored by centre Teddy Wilson in a length-of-the-field movement. Suaalii carried 11 times, contributing more linebreaks, defenders beaten, and offloads than any other player in the game.
Even in the Warathas’ defeats, Sua’ali’i was very good. Against Moana Pasikifa, he created three tries.
AJ Lam (Blues)
The Blues 36-17 victory over Moana Pasifika at Eden Park was an anti-climactic spectacle with the defending champions stymieing the visitors’ optimism.
The hosts did score six tries, with Beauden Barrett’s chip and chase a vintage highlight. No less effective in his 50th match for the Blues was sturdy second five AJ Lam.
Lam made two clean breaks, helping create tries for Mark Tele’a and Hoskins Sotutu. There’s a greater steadiness to the Blues backline when Lam plays. The converted winger runs directly for telling gains and is rarely beaten defensively. He resembles a less refined version of Springboks Rugby World Cup winner Damian de Allende (91 Tests, 11 tries, 55 wins).
It was an excellent weekend for midfield backs. In his 50th match, Peter Umaga-Jensen scored two tries for the Hurricanes in their defeat by the Crusaders. The last time he’d scored a double in a first-class match was for Wellington in a memorable 46-21 slaying of Canterbury in Rangiora in the 2024 NPC. He also achieved the feat for Wellington in a 35-30 win in extra time against Canterbury in the 2021 NPC. Umaga-Jensen scored doubles for the Hurricanes in a 29-24 win against the Blues in 2018 and a 31-18 win against the Chiefs in 2019. The single Test All Black has won 31 games and scored 11 tries for the Hurricanes.
Rob Valentini (Brumbies)
The Brumbies were in a big hole when trailing the Reds 14-0 in Brisbane. Rob Valentini took it upon himself to revive the visitors’ fortunes.
The two-time winner of the John Eales Medal for Wallabies Player of the Year, smashed over for the Brumbies’ first try from a rehearsed lineout move. Valentini has scored 20 tries in 88 appearances (64 wins) for the Brumbies.
Valentini surged on to become the leading ball carrier in the match with 13, each charge highly effective. He made nine tackles as the pendulum dramatically turned, and the Brumbies achieved their 32nd win in 46 games against the Reds.
Valentini has struggled with a hamstring injury this season, playing just three games, and while there is fierce competition for back row places in the Wallabies, a fit and firing Valentini (52 Tests) is the first name in the teamsheet.
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So worthy Crusaders hooker Ioane Moananu picked. That try he scored against the Hurricanes was soooooo good. He was dynamite around the field. He does his core roles very well. Our line out was a 100%. Having Cullen Grace back helped. He is one of the best.Fullback and captain, ( when Havili went off), Will Jordan was worthy to be in this group.
It would be good to spell Rob Valetini correctly.
A furious comeback? The graphic there for me says possession was 50/50 in the last 10 minutes. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that a furious comeback led to two yellow cards but the Canes couldn’t capitalize.
Good to see Lam back to his solid best and showed great wheels still too. Still don’t like his function at 13 as well, so keep using that speed at 12 mate!
Yes. It would have been an injustice had the 2 yellow cards resulted in the Canes getting out of jail. It amazed me that Love wasn’t yellow carded for his late and dangerous tackle on Jordan also. Blues were better this week but let’s see how they go against the Crusaders thos week as that will be s true litmus test for them