Super Rugby Pacific: Aaron Mauger resigns as Moana Pasifika head coach

Moana Pasifika coach Aaron Mauger has endured a tough season. Photo / photosport.nz

Aaron Mauger has resigned as Moana Pasifika head coach, the Herald understands.

Mauger is expected to remain in charge for Moana Pasifika’s final regular season matches against the Drua in Fiji and Waratahs in Sydney but he is believed to have informed the team last Friday he will not see out the final year of his contract next season.

Amid Moana’s 12-match winless campaign rumours of unrest surfaced in recent weeks, with suggestions players were refusing to re-sign beyond this year.

High performance consultant Eddie Kohlhase, the Black Sox great who New Zealand Rugby hired to sit on the appointment panel that anointed Scott Robertson as All Blacks coach from next year, is believed to have conducted a review of Moana where player feedback is said to be grim.

While he faced major challenges attempting to launch a start-up team, Mauger’s two-year tenure has yielded two wins from 26 matches. This season Moana are conceding 45 points per game.

Two weeks ago Moana pushed the Blues to the brink at Eden Park, with a late penalty try allowing Leon MacDonald’s men to escape.

Moana have, however, been on the receiving end of 59-0 and 71-22 defeats to the Hurricanes. On Friday night, in their final home match of the season, they lost 41-7 to a second-string Crusaders side.

Mauger’s previous head coaching stints paint an unflattering picture. In three seasons (2018-2020) at the Highlanders the former All Blacks midfielder achieved a 42.55 per cent win rate. Prior to that, he was removed in the first of his three-year deal with Leicester Tigers.

News of Mauger’s imminent departure casts another dark cloud over Moana after the Herald revealed their leading player, devastating midfielder Levi Aumua, is expected to leave the franchise next season.

The Crusaders are thought to have beaten the Blues to secure Aumua’s services for 2024.

With Scott Robertson, MacDonald and Jason Holland among the five coaches set to lead the All Blacks next year Mauger’s exit leaves four New Zealand-based Super Rugby franchises - the Crusaders, Blues, Hurricanes and Moana - scrambling to source new head coaches from a limited pool.

The Crusaders and Hurricanes, who this week lost forwards coach Chris Gibbes for next season, are also seeking new assistants, although former All Blacks openside Matt Todd is expected to replace Scott Hansen in Christchurch.