Ex-All Black’s bid to save Super Rugby team on the brink of extinction which could leave Ardie Savea in limbo
Ardie Savea and an inset of Moana Pasifika head coach Tana Umaga.
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 players and management that it will not fund the team beyond this campaign.
Owners cut ties
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 will not 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 May 30, becoming the latest club to exit Super Rugby after the Melbourne Rebels’ demise in 2024, with the South African teams, the Jaguares and 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.
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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.
Hammer blow to Super Rugby Pacific
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.
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