“They’re a good side. They’re showing they’re here to play,” off contract All Blacks and Blues wing Mark Tele’a, who after being linked with a move to Japanese club Toyota suggested his future will be confirmed in the coming weeks, said of Moana Pasifika.
“It’s exciting playing a team in the same city as us and building that rivalry we have amongst each other. There will be some bragging rights there. For us it’s getting to our grind and knowing we’re in for a tough match.”
Rugby is crying out for genuine rivalries to market and sell the sport to the masses. In that regard, and from a neutral perspective, Moana storming Eden Park to upset the Blues would mark a significant turning point in the early stages of their competing relationship.
Moana, under Tana Umaga’s guidance and inspired by Ardie Savea’s leadership, knocked over former champions the Crusaders and Waratahs in the last two weeks to legitimise their Super Rugby status after struggling to gain a foothold since their inaugural 2022 campaign.
All start-up teams need time to find their feet. Moana, as they seek to take down a third Kiwi team this season, are on the cusp of standing tall to garner widespread respect.
Securing the Blues scalp in a sibling scrap at home would signal they have truly arrived as a legitimate force.
A match dubbed a celebration of Pasifika culture, with Moana fans often singing Samoan and Tongan hymns through the second half, and with many opposing players knowing each other well, having emerged through the ranks together, adds yet more intrigue.
All Blacks team-mates Tele’a and Savea are among those to share a close friendship off the field. Come Saturday, though, they switch from friends to foe.
“We’re not living with each other but he gave me a few phone calls earlier this week asking if I’m ready,” Tele’a said.
“I’ve been taking him to the local cafes and showing him what Auckland is all about. He’s trying to claim all the North Shore spots but we’ll see him on the weekend.
“As friends you want to get one up on each other on the field. I know he’ll be fizzing for this one for us. If you know Ardie you’ve got to stop him. We’ll focus on that throughout the week.”
In his first season with Moana, since switching from the Hurricanes, Savea has produced vintage form. Off the field he’s lifted expectations to help redefine the perception of Moana’s presence and inspire the next generation of Pasifika talent.
Savea can’t, and hasn’t, done it alone, though. Tongan first five-eighth Patrick Pellegrini is among Moana’s revelations this season.
If Moana are to topple the Blues for the first time, they must summon a much more consistent performance than the lone second half efforts that propelled them to a comeback victory over the Waratahs last week – and those that weren’t enough to recover from significant first half deficits against the Chiefs and Highlanders earlier this year.
While the Blues resurrected their season with a tense one-point win over the Hurricanes, thanks in large part to Beauden Barrett’s influence, Vern Cotter’s side remain a long way off the dominant, daunting prospect they were enroute to last year’s breakthrough title.
This week pits a contrasting clash of styles with Moana scoring 125 points – 18 tries – in the past three weeks to underline their attacking threats.
On the contrary, tries continue to prove difficult for the Blues. Last week they reverted to their direct, confrontational, kick-heavy style to eke out a desperately needed win – their second from seven attempts – to keep their playoffs hopes alive.
Stylistically, with the Blues playing wider than first receiver on 15% of their plays this season, Tele’a and fellow wing Caleb Clarke are likely to continue to operate predominantly without the ball.
“Teams have adapted to us and how we play so it’s on us to get better and try and create more opportunities for us to score,” Tele’a said.
“We haven’t been tracking the way we wanted but we can only take confidence from that win.
“The season is not finished yet – we’re not out – so we keep positive heading to the backend.”
Liam Napier has been a sports journalist since 2010 and his work has taken him to World Cups in rugby, netball and cricket, boxing world title fights and Commonwealth Games.
