May 10, 2023
Money shackles rob Moana Pasifika
A Pacific sports commentator says Moana Pasifika’s narrow 30-31 loss to the Auckland Blues at the weekend highlights the need to put more resources into the new franchise.
Ken Laban says the team was set up to recognise Pasifika representation in the sport, but it hasn’t been given the equal access to monetary and human resources that will make it truly competitive in Super Rugby.
“There’s a lot of people saying that we care about Pasifika rugby and this is the way to do it but on the other hand they are not willing to share the resources to allow them to be competitive,” he says.
He’d like to see a review at the end of the season into whether the Moana Pasifika experiment is being handled properly – and he’d also like to see consideration of a Maori team.