The situation of Super Rugby side, Moana Pasifika isn't getting any better. It looks like it's nearing its end. No investments are being made. There are additional worriness regarding the playing strengthening of playing conditions for some Pacific Island countries. An additional pointing of the finger has been made.
Former All Blacks fly-half and current Samoa international, Lima Sopoaga, is still hoping there will be a saviour for Moana Pasifika in the wake of their hugely disappointing recent announcement.
It was revealed earlier in the week that they are set to exit Super Rugby Pacific at the end of the current season due to the financial burden of running the franchise.
They are simply losing too much money, resulting in the hierarchy making the decision to disband the side following the conclusion of the 2026 campaign. There doesn’t appear to be any sort of rescue plan in the pipeline but Sopoaga is not giving up hope that someone will come in.
"It’s quite sad to see where it’s got to and with the news being that they will cease to exist in 2027 but I’m sure there are people behind the scenes still hopeful that they can find somebody to take over the license," he told Sport Nation. "We can just only hope and I guess pray that something might come of this."
The aim of Moana – and Fijian Drua – was to bolster the Pacific Island nations and provide a stepping stone to Test rugby. Super Rugby also gives them a way of developing players and offers a pathway for the immense talent they produce.
Sopoaga is therefore devastated that the opportunities for Samoans and Tongans have been reduced following the confirmation that Moana would be dissolved.
"We need it, the Pacific Islands need it. We need it to showcase talent, we need it so that there’s a pathway or what you’re going to see is players just head straight to Europe," he said.
"They will get plucked out of schools or age-group programmes and they will either go to Europe of they will go to rugby league and we will lose them forever. That’s the cold, harsh reality of high performance sport but this team needs to still exist."
Moana were owned by the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) and also had financial support from NZ Rugby and World Rugby but, after funding was reduced, it became unsustainable.
However, Sopoaga still believes that there is an excellent opportunity there for someone if they are looking to invest.
"I’m hopeful that between now and the end of the year, there might be a consortium of investors that might look at this and think, 'this is pretty cool' or some like Red Bull, who’s taken over Newcastle up in the PREM," he added.
"I’m not sure but I know there’s probably people out there who might see this as a great opportunity, but for now we’ve been told that it’s toast and that’s super, super sad."
At the same time, he believes that it is time for NZ Rugby to consider getting rid of Super Rugby and setting up a domestic competition which can rival the north.
It comes in the wake of Moana Pasifika’s demise, with the Auckland-based team set to be axed from Super Rugby Pacific at the end of the campaign. Moana follow Australian outfit, Melbourne Rebels, who went bust in 2024, in exiting the competition, leaving it with just 10 teams for 2027.
Sopoaga now reckons that it is getting to the point where the Antipodean bigwigs should be looking at a complete overhaul of rugby in the southern hemisphere.
With the Top 14 thriving in France, the current Samoa international has suggested building on what they have in the NPC.
"The players would love a bit less chaos. You lose one more team and all of a sudden Super Rugby’s a 10-team competition. It’s kind of like, 'well, why are playing Super Rugby? Why don’t we have a domestic competition that’s the best in the world?' You start to have these conversations," Sopoaga told Sport Nation.
"The players would just love a bit more stability and a bit less chaos and uncertainty because every year Super Rugby seems to change. There seems to be a new format or a new finals system. At some point it’s got to change."
"Coming back and playing in the NPC was honestly one of the most enjoyable times I’ve had in my career. We don’t get the eyes to it because rugby’s so saturated, but maybe it’s time for New Zealand to look at that model and be like, 'do you know what, we’re going to back our talent because we’re not going to let people leave overseas and play for the All Blacks'."
"Be similar to what England and France do. They have one of the best domestic competitions in the Top 14, which is all based in France. There’s the PREM, based in England, so can’t we do that here in New Zealand? I would love to see that model."
Sopoaga has experience of playing around the world having featured for Wasps in England, Lyon in France and Shimizu Blue Sharks in Japan.
The playmaker therefore has knowledge of how those teams and leagues operates, and he believes that New Zealand have been left behind.
"When I think of some of the cool things around the world I’ve experienced in France, Japan and England, I think in some ways we’ve been left in the stone ages and we haven’t been innovative enough to change with the times," he added.
"We kind of just thought the All Blacks are the gold standard, they’re our bread and butter, they will bring in revenue and the game is strong here because our number one team is strong, but the psyche of people and how they spend their money has changed."
All Blacks great and Moana Pasifika coach, Tana Umaga, fears the region’s talent will gravitate to league and derail the Tongan and Samoan Test sides without a Super Rugby presence.
The Super Rugby Pacific franchise is set to be disbanded after ownership on Wednesday confirmed it wouldn't continue funding the "unviable" operation beyond this season.
Introduced in 2022 alongside Fijian Drua, Pasifika was designed to represent Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands.
Plans to base the club in Samoa never eventuated and, apart from a single game in Apia and another in Tonga in five seasons, have instead operated in obscurity in Auckland.
A World Rugby package initially funded the franchise before Pasifika Medical Association became a majority owner in 2024.
License holders New Zealand Rugby insist there is hope fresh investors – the operation reportedly costs upwards of $7m annually – can resuscitate the team that sits last after an eighth successive loss, in Sydney to NSW Waratahs on Friday night.
The likelihood is a 10-team competition without a Pasifika presence for 2027 and Umaga, the first All Black captain of Samoan descent, is concerned.
"We understand why we’re here and for people that look like us, have our background, that’s important," the coach, set to take up an assistant role for the All Blacks next year, said.
Of particular concern is the future for the Samoan and Tongan Test teams battling to develop into competitive rugby nations. Many of their emerging players are currently on the Moana Pasifika roster.
"The gap between where we [Samoa and Tonga] are currently, internationally, to where we need to get to, is very big," Umaga said. "Without Moana to bridge that gap, it’s going to be tough."
"If we keep going the way we’re going, the possibility [is that] they might not make the next cycle of the World Cup."
Players currently reaping the benefits are devastated by the news and how it will affect others in a similar way.
“This team gave me a chance in Super Rugby and I got to debut for my country, my dad’s country of birth and then I got to go to a World Cup," said utility back, William Havili.
"It is tough because I feel for my Samoan and Tongan brothers that we have in our team. They’ve come straight from Tonga or Samoa, but they might not get a chance next year now and there’s some really exciting kids that we have training with us that might just get overlooked now."
The looming threat is that Pacific players could be lost to rugby league as the rival code continues to strengthen its hold in the region. "That’s the real risk," Umaga said. "What is the answer if it’s not us, then what? If we’re not there, then what for Samoa and Tonga?"
As talk naturally turns to the future, players and staff at Moana Pasifika are refusing to give up hope that the team’s license could be snapped up by a new investor dedicated to their cause.
"There’s a glimmer of hope for us and that’s what we’ve got to look forward to and we’ve just got to keep pushing forward," said Umaga.
"We’re still holding onto hope for Moana for next season, it’s not all doom and gloom," Moana’s Sydney-born, Tongan flyhalf, Patrick Pellegrini, said. "We’ve all said you’ve got to make a decision what’s best for you and your family at the end of the day, whether that’s moving on or holding on."
Moana Pasifika has officially announced it has made the "difficult and heartbreaking decision to disband" at the conclusion of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season, confirming media reports about the franchise's demise.
In late February, Moana Pasifika CEO Debbie Sorensen told RNZ Pacific the club was "here to stay" despite its funding struggles and that "we're not going to give up."
"What we've demonstrated in the last five years is that we are here to stay," she said, calling on fans and supporters to "stick with us."
However, things have moved quickly for the club, which has struggled both on and off-field this season.
"Moana Pasifika announces the difficult decision to disband its Super Rugby team after the conclusion of the 2026 season, thanking the community for its unwavering support," the club said in a statement on Wednesday.
"After 5 years of competing in the Super Rugby competition and engaging with communities, Moana Pasifika have made the difficult and heartbreaking decision to disband their Super Rugby franchise following the conclusion of the 2026 season."
The club said the decision comes after extensive consideration of the financial, operational and strategic realities facing the franchise as well as professional rugby in New Zealand.
"Despite the tireless dedication of players, staff, and supporters, it is no longer viable to continue the franchise at this level of competition," the club said.
Moana Pasifika chair, Dr. Kiki Maoate said it is one of the hardest decisions they have ever made. "Our commitment now is to ensure a smooth transition for everyone affected and to celebrate our legacy by finishing the season strong."
"We acknowledge our loyal fans for standing by us through the highs and lows - your support has meant everything to us, especially our players," Dr Maoate said. "We ask that you stand by your team today."
Ken Laban, New Zealand’s first Pasifika mayor and renowned rugby commentator, said Moana’s demise is a tragedy for the game and has put the blame squarely on the shoulders of World Rugby and NZ Rugby.
"They need to stop saying that they’re about growing the game because they’re not. They’ve just killed part of it," Laban told RNZ Sport and added that the powers that be should be held accountable.
"I cannot for the life of me follow the logic of how everybody says they’re committed to the growth of the game and expanding the game’s global footprint, how they think they can achieve that by taking teams away from Super Rugby. It’s an absolute setback for the game and for the people involved."
"If New Zealand Rugby and World Rugby are as committed as they say they are to Pasifika rugby, they would have prevented this. They have the financial influence and the financial power to be able to keep the team alive for three or four years, give them the necessary support, and don’t just expect that the Pasifika community are capable of doing that because that’s why they find themselves in the position they are in now."
"It’s a position that everybody knew they were in when they conceived this concept five years ago. So absolutely those people should be responsible. They say that they’re dedicated to the growth of the game, but their walk doesn’t match the talk, does it?"
A former New Zealand rugby powerbroker has pointed the finger squarely at South Africa for Super Rugby’s financial collapse.
Ex-NZ Rugby chairman, Brent Impey, claims the exit of the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers in 2020 was inevitable and driven by economics.
His comments come at a turbulent time for Super Rugby Pacific, with Moana Pasifika set to fold and fresh overhaul plans already on the table.
"I don’t think there was any choice," Impey said on the DSPN podcast. "There were a combination of factors. First of all, there was Covid, which meant that we couldn’t travel to South Africa or they couldn’t travel here."
"There was that restriction, which was significant, and the cost of airfares meant that it became completely uneconomic and that unfortunately included the Jaguares out of Argentina."
It was the financial model – not just logistics – that proved decisive. “In 2020, SuperSport in South Africa changed it to the rand…By 2020 it was 12 to one,” Impey said, referencing the shift away from US dollar-based broadcast deals, which he insists was the "killer blow."
"The South Africans made it completely uneconomic and had we gone ahead with that deal, NZ Rugby would have had to subsidise not only Australia and Argentina… to having to subsidise the lot. We simply couldn’t afford that.”
I believe that something needs to be done to save the team. Losing this team might mean the end of the strengthening of Somoa and Tonga. They are great sides and it'll be sad if this were to change.
Hopefully, the players can find new teams to join to avoid losing their competitiveness and to remain in top shape.