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Moana Pasifika have kept their slim finals hopes alive in a 27-12 victory over the New South Wales Waratahs, in a dogged, tense encounter at Mt. Smart Stadium.
Despite a few tries in the closing stages of the match, the Waratahs were their own worst enemy for the majority of the night, with dropped ball aplenty, poor decision-making and ill-discipline rife through the match.
The night got even worse for the men from Sydney, with the eleventh-placed Crusaders upsetting the Blues in Christchurch to keep their finals hopes alive.
As a result, no matter what happens next week, the Waratahs will finish the season with the wooden spoon – the first time they have done so in a season unaffected by COVID.
Coming into the match hoping to end Darren Coleman’s tenure at the Waratahs on a high, the continuing scrum issues persisted and provided a key target for Moana Pasifika. The hosts capitalised early on, winning the physical battle and out-enthusing the visitors.
Fine Inisi enjoyed a strong opening forty minutes – picking up two tries off the back of Moana’s dominance in the forward pack and enthusiasm in the backline – with the small but vocal crowd quickly getting behind the side.
The Waratahs struggled with execution but showed attacking intent early on with Dylan Pietsch and Mark Nawaqanitawase asking plenty of questions, while Charlie Gamble put in a strong showing to try and stem the dominance of the Moana Pasifika pack.
However, as the points continued to pile up, the mental strength of the Waratahs began to wane, with players looking visibly frustrated on either side of half-time.
The frustration resulted in the match nearly boiling over at several points, with Miles Amatosero the recipient of Moana pressure.
Lotu Inisi of Moana Pasifika is tackled during the round 14 Super Rugby Pacific match between Moana Pasifika and NSW Waratahs at Go Media Stadium, on May 25, 2024, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Sekope Kepu – hot off announcing his retirement early this week, had a dream final home match, coming off the bench to score the hosts’ final try in the 60th minute against his old side.
The Waratahs did manage to salvage some pride in the final 20 minutes of the match, with tries to Langi Gleeson and a length-of-the-field effort from Izaia Perese denying Moana Pasifika a bonus point.
The result is Tana Umaga’s side fourth of the year – a marked improvement given the previous two seasons saw three wins between them – and incredibly, now sit with a slim chance to spring an upset finals berth.
The Waratahs will be looking to finish their season on a high next week when they welcome the Queensland Reds to Sydney.
Quinten Strange of the Crusaders celebrates after winning the round 14 Super Rugby Pacific match between Crusaders and Blues at Apollo Projects Stadium, on May 25, 2024, in Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
Meanwhile in Christchurch, the Crusaders picked up a valuable 29-27 win against the Blues, which has shaken up the Super Rugby ladder and sees a three-way race for first place going into the last round. The Crusaders now also have a slim chance of making finals, sitting just two competition points outside the top eight.
Strong performances by Tamati Williams and Fergus Burke see the current champions now needed to beat Moana Pasifika next round to give themselves the best chance of making finals – unless the Drua put eighth place out of reach in the next week.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.