Super Rugby: Aaron Mauger urges Moana to keep mental focus

Lawrence Nolan

Moana Pasifika coach Aaron Mauger has urged his side to accept the rugby lessons dished out to them by the efficient Chiefs on Saturday.

It was only the second game where there should have already been five, and it was played at the end of a five-week spell without families in a Queenstown bubble for the new side, which Mauger considered might have sapped the necessary emotional energy from the side.

Reality Check

But after the promise shown in defeat to the Crusaders, a 59-12 shellacking at the hands of the under-strength Chiefs was a rugby reality check for the new team, which now props up the table.

“The big takeaway is probably the mentality – that’s probably the word that sticks out – and intensity,” said Mauger to the Stuff website.

“We just dropped off too easily, and it was a bit of a training run at the end for the Chiefs.

“You’ve got to give credit to them: they put us under a lot of pressure early, and we were giving away so many penalties in that first half, it took a lot of energy out of us. We’ve got to be better than that.

“We’ve trained harder and better than that. It was a pretty disappointing performance in the end.”

It was 12-7 at the break, but the second half was when the Pasifika dropped off their first-half intensity and leaked six more tries, while their basics also fell away.

“We had opportunities to get down their end, but we’ve got to nail our set piece, and we’ve got to nail our attacks close to the line,” continued Mauger.

“The Chiefs did well to hold us out but if we want to be serious about competing in this competition we’ve got to be much better in those areas.

“I don’t think there’s a lack of desire in this team, and I know our guys will be really disappointed with that.

“The feeling within the group is we’re so much better than what we put out there, we know it’s in us, and we showed it’s in us for periods during the game.

“But the lesson is at this level it’s got to be on for 80 minutes. That measure of what it looks like on the field is make a tackle, roll away, get back on your feet, make another tackle, put pressure on the ball … and it’s doing that over and over again.

“When we start to cop out at times and give away easy penalties, bang, we’re inside our 22, and these New Zealand teams are lethal when you give them that many opportunities. The scoreboard was a result of that pressure, but we can be so much better there.”