Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'That was perfect': Maori All Blacks and Moana Pasifika lay down spine-tingling challenges ahead of first-ever clash

(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

The first-ever clash between the Maori All Blacks and Moana Pasifika promised fireworks from the kick-off, but the pre-match challenges have set the tone for the match ahead.

ADVERTISEMENT

Facing off against each other for the first time in their histories – the encounter being Moana Pasifika’s debut appearance – the two sides laid down their respective challenges in front of a decent crowd at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton.

Moana Pasifika were the first side to perform their pre-match ritual, with plenty of intrigue surrounding how exactly the side would integrate the cultures of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga in their performance.

Video Spacer

The Akira Ioane and Will Jordan show | Aotearoa Rugby Pod | RugbyPass

Video Spacer

The Akira Ioane and Will Jordan show | Aotearoa Rugby Pod | RugbyPass

That question was soon answered as the composite side, which is expected to join Super Rugby in 2022, borrowed elements of Samoa’s siva tau, Tonga’s sipi tau and Fiji’s cibi to create a special cultural dance that represented all three Pacific Island nations.

The Samoan segment of the performance was led by team captain and Manu Samoa prop Michael Alaalatoa, while the Tongan part was led by ‘Ikale Tahi loose forward Nasi Manu, and the Fijian section led by Chiefs No. 8 Pita Gus Sowakula.

Their challenge was responded to appropriately by the Maori All Blacks, who performed a stirring rendition of their haka Te Timatanga.

Fans have since taken to Twitter in awe of both side’s challenges, with one user labelling the exchange as a “perfect” way to precede the match itself.

ADVERTISEMENT

Another called for the Maori All Blacks and Moana Pasifika match to become an annual fixture on the rugby calendar, echoing the sentiments of two-test hooker James Parsons and Maori All Blacks halfback Bryn Hall on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.

https://twitter.com/TommyBick/status/1335103166296158209

ADVERTISEMENT

Listen to the latest episode of the Aotearoa Rugby Pod below:

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

T
Tom 1 hour ago
England player ratings vs South Africa | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

I'm not sure about the Earl incident. I recall him missing an important tackle but he's certainly a quick flanker. SB has him cover centre when doing 6-2, fortunately we've never had to see how that would play out.


I'm not getting on board I'm afraid. The fact that England are scoring tries and being competitive despite being so amazingly disorganised and managing to lose every match is even more frustrating. The players front up and make a good account of themselves physically but the defence since Felix Jones is so much less organised. Players are flying out the line all over the place, there is no cohesion at all... And the attack... Literally it's just Marcus Smith.. and a bit of Feyi Waboso. Almost every player in the backline has done nothing offensively because the structure just isn't there for it, there's nothing creative or innovative to challenge the defense. The last 20 mins against the Boks it was just runners on crash ball off the 9, over and over getting smashed behind the gainline and turned over. These players are capable of doing much better.


We did score tries under Eddie but the backs didn't create anything. It worked well for a while but when we no longer had a big pack with the likes of Haskell and the Vunipolas playing well, it stopped working very rapidly. Once we started losing the gainline and couldn't exert so much pressure through bullying, they suddenly all looked clueless and we finished 5th in consecutive six nations.


I'd love to be on board, I've watched every game for the last 15 years and what I see is just super frustrating. It's groundhog day. The same mistakes over and over and no sign of progress. They've pushed some good sides close in this series but there is no acknowledgement of the issues, they keep saying how close they are and they're a growing team etc... he's been in charge for 2 years and has hundreds of caps in the side. This will end poorly, he's not the right guy, but thank you for trying.

10 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'Who gives a crap?' Animosity towards the Springboks is proof of their dominance 'Who gives a crap?' Animosity towards the Springboks is proof of their dominance
Search