Kyren Taumoefolau and Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea. Photo: Michael Thomas/ActionPress
The past weekend was one of the best for the Pasifika teams in the Super Rugby Pacific competition.
Both the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika recorded their first wins in the 2025 series against two of the competition's most consistent teams from 2024 and this year.
The Drua sailed high against the previously unbeaten Chiefs at Lautoka's Churchill Park, winning the contest 28-24 in front of a vocal home crowd of 10,000.
Even the rain could not hold back the fans and the team, as the Chiefs fell for the first time in their 2025 campaign.
In the evening clash at the North Harbour Stadium in Albany, Moana Pasifika took their cue from what their Fijian brothers had achieved in the Sugar City of Fiji and recorded their own victory.
The Hurricanes came back strong in the late stages of the game, but they could not break through the Moana Pasifika defence, going down 40-31.
Captain courageous Ardie Savea did not return after halftime because of a suspected hamstring injury, leaving his Moana Pasifika mates to finish off the job against his former team.
In the end, flanker partner Miracle Faiilagi lived up to his name, scoring a hat-trick of tries, which proved to be a key part of the big win.
Fijian Drua v Chiefs, Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji. Photo: Kirk Corrie/ActionPress
Here's 5 lessons learned from the two teams' performances at the weekend:
- 1. Both can win
It took both teams until the fourth round of the competition to confirm what everyone else believed they could do - win matches.
Both the Drua and Moana Pasifika had shown in their first three games this season that they could match the best in the competition.
They had come so close, but as they said, victory was still out of reach.
The Drua lost by a whisker to the Brumbies in Suva, Hurricanes in Napier, and the Waratahs in Sydney.
In all three matches, they had led in the last six minutes, only to see their opponents come back and score the winning tries.
That forced the coaches and players to have a hard rethink their strategy, and the discussions concluded that the team needed to play 80 minutes of rugby and win.
Lautoka was the perfect place to do that. and the Drua recorded their seventh straight win at the venue, proving they were champion beaters also.
Moana Pasifika, playing their second game at home, saw the same results against the Western Force, Reds, and Highlanders in rounds one to three.
On Saturday night, they put all those disappointments behind them, took the opportunities to score points, and hung on in the end to win.
- 2. Playing at the right end of the field
Key to the two teams' wins was the fact that they were able to play at the right end of the field at the right time.
Captain Savea of Moana and Tevita Ikanivere of the Drua both admitted that this was a key factor in their previous three matches, where they had fallen short.
The fact that they were able to keep the ball inside their opponents' halves paved the way for their victories in the end.
- 3. Consistent performance
Consistency has been one of the major drawbacks of both teams' performances over the past three years.
Something has changed in 2025.
The two teams are showing a lot of consistency and high work rates, both with ball in hand and while chasing the ball.
Both coaches, Drua's Glen Jackson and Moana's Fa'alogo Tana Umaga, have stated in the past month that consistency will need to be an "in-thing" for both their teams.
Especially if they are to stand a chance of qualifying in the top six at the end of round 16.
Now that they have tasted wins, consistency remains something they will need to keep churning out every weekend.
- 4. Good leadership
Pasifika teams rely on their leaders on the field to show them the way when the going gets tough.
Both teams have built strong leadership within their own teams.
Drua have Ikanivere, Frank Lomani, Mele Derenalagi and young flyhalh Isaiah Washington-Ravula.
They are able to step up and lead with their own performances, lifting their own players in the process.
Moana Pasifika have Savea, whose experience and star status has rubbed off on the players.
Saturday was a great example, when the All Black strongman was unable to continue playing in the second spell.
The team lifted, as if they were indebted to their captain for a win against the Hurricanes.
James Lay, Failangi, Patrick Pellegrini, and William Havili took over and showed they were able to get it done.
Depth within the two sides also means there are leaders across their ranks, even off the bench.
- 5. Playmakers key
One of the biggest problems for both Drua and Moana Pasifika in the past - as has been for the Flying Fijians, Samoa, and Tonga - was the struggle to find good playmakers.
Saturday's showing by Ravula for the Drua and Pellegrini for Moana Pasifika signaled what could be an exciting run for both teams.
The two fly-halves were almost flawless in their games, showing a lot of maturity in commanding how things happened on the field.
Touch finders, territorial kicking, and conversions saw them ticking better than their counterparts. Exciting times indeed for Pasifika rugby.
Moving on, it will be interesting to see how they continue to perform in the competition.
The challenge now for both teams is to see if they are able to keep getting it done as the competition gets into must-win matches.
Drua fly to Canberra this week for the return clash against the Brumbies, while Moana Pasifika have a rest week and the chance to recover before their sixth-round clash against the Chiefs at home on 21 March.
