Sayonara

Super Rugby is a popular southern hemisphere rugby union competition. Despite South Africa exiting the competition a few years ago, the competition remains strong within New Zealand and Australia.

However, recent events have seen a team nearing an exit and a tradition coming to an end.

Moana Pasifika look set to be axed from Super Rugby Pacific at the end of the current season, according to multiple reports.

The club, which joined Super Rugby in 2022, has been struggling with financial stability and suffered a fresh blow with its owner reportedly telling the players and management that it won't fund the team beyond this campaign.

The New Zealand Herald reports that Moana Pasifika chief executive, Debbie Sorensen – who is also chief executive of Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), which owns the Super Rugby side – informed all staff this afternoon that the owner will meet its financial obligations for the remainder of the 2026 season but won't be running the club next year.

That decision means that Moana Pasifika will only be part of Super Rugby Pacific 2027 if they can find a new owner willing to meet the $10m-$12m annual running costs. The report adds that PMA circulated a sales document at the end of last year but couldn’t find any party willing to take on the licence.

Finding a new owner is made all the more challenging as New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will have to be satisfied with the buyer as the union takes possession of the licence from PMA.

The Daily Telegraph have also reported on Moana’s demise, stating that the staff had been informed that the club faces extinction at the end of the season, amid, "crippling financial pressure."

The Herald adds that a prospective owner would need to quickly convince NZR that they have the money and business plan to run the club long-term, as the union is under pressure from other Super Rugby teams to provide certainty around the number of teams for next year’s competition.

Unless a new owner is found, Moana’s final game will be against the Brumbies on 30 May, becoming the latest club to exit Super Rugby after the Melbourne Rebels’ demise in 2024; with the South African teams, Argentine side, the Jaguares and Japanese side, Sunwolves, all leaving the tournament in 2020.

Both publications note that PMA’s own finances are compromised and they would be taking an enormous risk continuing to own the Super Rugby team.

Detailing Moana’s finances, the Herald states that the club received about 2 million per year from NZR (a nominal share of broadcast rights), about $1.9m from World Rugby and other loans and grants from government entities.

However, Moana has exhausted its government money, World Rugby is no longer contributing, while it is also believed that Sky – which pays an estimated $300 000 a year to have front-of-jersey naming rights – is not looking to extend its sponsorship beyond 2026.

Head coach, Tana Umaga, who will be joining Dave Rennie’s All Blacks coaching team at the end of the season, rued the lack of financial support Moana were getting at the start of the season.

"I think there’s a lot of areas for us in general, in terms of our own house, we need to get that sorted. But I reckon we just want to be on a level playing field around the funding that goes out to all the teams," he said.

"World Rugby probably needs to help out a bit more. We don’t get funding from them anymore and that’s their decision. But if you look around the world, around how many Pacific Island players are playing in all these different countries, you don’t want to lose sight of who we represent and what we can do for this game."

"We saw it with NRL and Samoa and Tonga and what they did with the game, where they got their best players playing in a great competition. You can just see what we’re bringing to the competition. Our Pacific people will get in behind it, and we saw with Moana Pasifika last year, that the support that we got towards the end, everyone likes us."

If Moana were to fold, it would also leave Ardie Savea in limbo as the All Blacks star was set to return to the club following his stint in Japan with the Kobe Steelers.

When he re-signed with New Zealand Rugby in 2024, he decided to move Super Rugby teams and join Moana for the 2025 season but opted to activate a sabbatical clause to link up with Kobe. He is scheduled to rejoin Moana next season. A return to the Hurricanes could be a solution for Savea, provided that the Wellington club is able to meet his salary demands.

Moana’s demise would be a hammer blow for the competition, particularly after Super Rugby Pacific CEO, Jack Mesley, expressed the tournament’s desire to keep the status quo in terms of clubs represented after so many alterations over the years.

"No. None," Mesley bluntly stated when asked on the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin whether there were plans to replace the Melbourne Rebels. "Our focus right now is largely because of the point you just made, Super Rugby has had so many guises, so many changes."

"We need fans of rugby in this region to understand our comp. Who are our teams? Who are our players? There are no secrets; clubs, financially, are not necessarily in the strongest position."

"We’ve got a job to solidify and really contain and fortify what we have now. So that is where our energy is focused on strengthening our existing clubs, ensuring that the fans understand what Super Rugby Pacific is today, the teams that are involved, and the wonderful talent that we have."

"So I still think there’s a lot of headroom for growth within that current structure, and no secrets, we don’t have resources coming out of our ears. So I want, you know, I want every 60 minutes of an hour spent strengthening our competition today versus 30 spent looking for pots of gold in faraway lands that maybe don’t even exist."

The Herald added that former All Black lock, Ali Williams and his wife Anna Mowbray, had discussions with Moana representatives about buying the licence; but that talks never developed, whilst a consortium led by former Moana Pasifika Chief Executive, Pelenato Sakalia, is also willing to try to save the club.

The Crusaders say they’ve tried their 'absolute best' to accommodate the team’s horses at their new home ground, the One New Zealand Stadium, but have decided to retire the pre-match experience, citing safety concerns.

Earlier this month, the Crusaders played their final game at Apollo Projects Stadium before their move to their new home, the One New Zealand Stadium, a $672 million, multi-use venue.

The new stadium is not built solely for the Crusaders and is designed to bring crowds closer to the action across sport and live entertainment. In a statement from the club on Tuesday, the Crusaders said that this vision has been achieved but added that because of the limited space around the field, the six horses would not have been able to avoid the playing surface, compromising their own safety, the condition of the turf and creating potential injury risks for players and others in the venue.

"While the horses have been much-loved by our fans and a symbolic part of the Crusaders matchday for many years, safety must come first. Due to the design and limited space at One New Zealand Stadium, the horses cannot be safely accommodated – leading to the incredibly difficult decision to retire the Crusaders horses," the statement read.

This decision was reached after an 'extensive planning and assessment' ahead of the side’s Super Rugby Pacific debut at the ground against the Waratahs on 24 April.

"This is a decision that really hurts because the horses have been part of who we are from the very beginning and we know how much they mean to our fans. That feeling of watching them run out in front of a packed crowd, while Conquest of Paradise plays, is a feeling I will never forget," Crusaders Chief Executive, Colin Mansbridge said.

"We’ve tried our absolute best to make this work, and we want our Crusaders whānau to know we have left no stone unturned. Ultimately, safety must come first, even when the emotional cost is high."

"We have been through everything with the Crusaders." The statement adds that 'significant time, money and effort were invested in exploring ways to keep the horses as part of the matchday experience'.

However, the constraints of the new stadium meant that the safety concerns outweighed the continuation of the tradition that started back in 1996.

Mark Donald, spokesperson for the riding group, says the decision was made under circumstances beyond his control and he and the rest of the riders are devastated.

"The infrastructure at the new stadium is simply not compatible with the Crusaders’ horses which is incredibly disappointing," he said.

"We have been through everything with this team. From the earthquakes, then the mosque attack and Covid. The Crusaders mean everything to us; we aren’t just guys who ride horses around a field, we are an important part of this club, and this is what hurts the most."

"We are grateful for the overwhelming support we have received from the community and the Crusaders themselves. After three decades, this is not how we hoped things would end. It hurts to say goodbye to something that has been such a big part of our lives. Our commitment to horsemanship, to our riders, and to the people of Christchurch remains unwavering."

CEO Mansbridge, added: "We’re incredibly proud of the traditions that have shaped The Crusaders, and the horses will always be a special part of our story. While this decision will take time to sink in, when the time is right, we’ll engage our community on what a new ritual could look like. But for now, we want to recognise what the horses and riders have done for us and our club for three decades. We are working through how to appropriately acknowledge and thank them for their contribution to our club and will confirm this in due course."

The statement concluded that, "the club acknowledges this will be disappointing for many supporters and thanks fans for their understanding" and supporters made their feelings heard on social media.

"For me personally, I’m really disappointed by this decision," one fan commented on Facebook.

Another added: "So this stadium took years to plan, design and build and not one person in that whole process thought whoa, hang on don’t forget the horses. At Apollo we, the paying public, were very close to the action and I don’t recall anyone ever being hurt. Total c**k up all round. Now there is nothing symbolic left to connect our team with their name."

"First it was their logo and now its this. Destroying their identity one piece at a time," one supporter remarked on X with that sentiment being a popular one held by many.

While some fans were understanding of the decision, the overriding feeling was one of disappointment.

"The new stadium may be impressive, but it’s astonishing that a project funded by ratepayers managed to overlook something as central to our Canterbury culture as accommodating the beloved horses. To spend so much public money the decision to exclude accommodations for them is not just an oversight — it is a tone-deaf insult that feels careless at best and dismissive at worst," one comment added.

Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley won’t entertain the idea of South African teams returning to the competition in the future.

Mesley was appointed to the CEO position in 2024 after the likes of the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers had already left the tournament and joined what is now the United Rugby Championship (URC).

Traditionalists have rued South Africa’s absence in the competition, which they helped form back in 1996 when the game officially went professional. When the tournament debuted in 1996, it featured 12 teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and grew to 14 by 2006.

The numbers fluctuated from then on, expanding to 15 in 2011, 18 in 2016 and finally 15 between 2018 and 2020, with teams from Japan and Argentina first joining in 2016. The global pandemic proved to be the final nail in the fractured relationship between SA Rugby and the SANZAAR partners, with South African teams joining what was then the PRO14 in the Northern Hemisphere.

Five teams from New Zealand and Australia then competed for the 2021 Super Rugby title before the tournament was once again expanded by two clubs, with the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika coming on board in the freshly branded Super Rugby Pacific.

However, last year the Melbourne Rebels entered administration and eventually collapsed leaving a void in the tournament’s club line-up. That void won’t be filled, according to Mesley, despite the Cheetahs airing their desire to return to the competition and suggestions that the Jaguares could do the same.

Instead, the CEO wants the status quo for the 2025 to remain intact going forward despite the odd number of teams.

“Our focus right now is largely because of the point you just made, Super Rugby has had so many guises, so many changes.

"We need fans of rugby in this region to understand our comp. Who are our teams? Who are our players? There are no secrets; clubs, financially, are not necessarily in the strongest position."

"We’ve got a job to solidify and really contain and fortify what we have now. So that is where our energy is focused on strengthening our existing clubs, ensuring that the fans understand what Super Rugby Pacific is today, the teams that are involved and the wonderful talent that we have."

"So I still think there’s a lot of headroom for growth within that current structure, and no secrets, we don’t have resources coming out of our ears. So I want, you know, I want every 60 minutes of an hour spent strengthening our competition today versus 30 spent looking for pots of gold in faraway lands that maybe don’t even exist."

There is also a thought that much of the Wallabies and All Blacks’ struggles in recent seasons have been due to the absence of the South African teams, who produce a different style of play to their Australian and New Zealand counterparts.

It’s been a hot talking point over the years with Wallabies legend, Matt Burke, crediting the South Africans’ absence as a reason to why Australia have sometimes struggled with the physicality of Test matches.

Ex-All Blacks Sonny Bill Williams and Stephen Donald have also pleaded for their return to the competition, the latter preferring that over an expansion to America, which has also been slated.

On the flipside, former Springboks forward, Schalk Brits, believes that the URC and Champions Cup is better preparing South Africa for international rugby than Super Rugby did.

Super Rugby’s boss Mesley stood firm, stating that the tournament is in a better space ratings-wise than it was when South African teams were involved.

"No," was his frankly reply when asked would he have the South African teams back in the tournament.

Pressed as to why that was the case, he replied: "Well, if you go back and look at the data, those games did not rate well. They did not attend well. They did not rate like we’re rating now. They did not attend like we are attending now. So, I think there is a romance associated with the South African days."

Devlin added: "It always is about the girlfriend who leaves, mate. You know that." With Mesley finishing the discussion, adding to the joke, "Even a South African one."

It looks like Super Rugby is deteriating. Maybe it should expand to introduce different markets and audience to rugby and the competition to increase profits. I'm not missing South African teams being in Super Rugby. The URC and Champions Cup is much more exciting to me.

I'm with the fans, the new stadium should've kept the tradition alive when developing it. Traditions shouldn't be messed with.