for PACIFIC site - left CAT empty ^^
Moana Pasifika loose forward and captain Ardie Savea during the Super Rugby Pacific - Moana Pasifika v Waratahs at North Harbour Stadium. Photo: Photosport
Moana Pasifika have stamped their mark as a team to beat in the Super Rugby Pacific competition, following their 45-28 win over the Waratahs at North Harbour on Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 21-7 at halftime, the side returned with six second half tries to record their first back-to-back wins in the competition.
Feleti Sa'e Ta'ufo'ou claimed a hat-trick of tries and led the fight back, the team heeding the message at halftime to restart well, dig deep and stay in the game.
He told fans on Sky Sport that it was just exciting to get the win.
The big prop forward said the team was family and they were gelling well together.
"We hold the game true to our heart and this team is more than a team, it's family," Ta'ufo'ou said.
He said the halftime chat was direct and it lifted them to get back and play better.
"The biggest thing we talked about was starting off well, dig deep and show true resilience, and stay in it," he said.
"Really the big message at halftime was just staying in the fight and show everyone how much we wanted it."
Captain Ardie Savea said it was a moment to savour, especially after getting the victory, following last weekend's big win over the Crusaders.
"Left it all out there, very proud of the men in our team for sticking it out there for us to get the double and get back-to-back wins, just so happy," he said.
"We nail our little things, the small habits in our game, our set-piece, our carries, we started to get into our games and we showed that in the second half.
"Our young brothers, coming into this team and taking ownership, makes my job a bit easier."
Savea thanked the fans and said they had lifted the team with their support.
The All Blacks vice-captain had called for the team to get back-to-back wins and prove their worth as a contender for the title.
It was something the team worked on in the week and what a response they displayed at home.
Head coach Fa'alogo Tana Umaga said the bench lifted the team in the second half, when they took to the field.
"We didn't have such a good start but we stayed in it," he said.
"We talked about it at halftime and we just said 'we just let go of them and just focus on ourselves'.
"But the bench was amazing and they lifted the energy. We injected what we needed at the right time.
"We said we wanted to just build moments and we managed to get the back-to-back win."
Umaga said he was proud of the players and the way they fought back to claim the win.
The bench players included Sama Malolo, Abraham Pole, Chris Apoua, Tom Savage, Ola Tauelangi, Melani Matavao, Jackson Garden-Bachop and Fine Inisi.
They carried on from what their starters had done and when the momentum started rolling, the Waratahs were left wondering what had hit them.
Moana Pasifika got tries through Sae-Ta'ufo'ou, who claimed three, Patrick Pellegrini, William Havili, Fine Inisi and Semisi Tupou-Ta'eiloa.
Watched by close to 10,000 fans, the team absorbed all that the Waratahs threw at them, went for the break and returned a changed team.
Waratahs captain Hugh Sinclair said they just fell off in the second half, after having looked good in the first 40.
He said Moana Pasifika will be hard to beat once they are on the roll.
"They are dangerous," he said.
"When they are on the roll, they are very hard to stop. Their ball carries and Ardie leads from the front, he is a phenomenal player.
"We just fell of tackles in the second half and in the first half I thought we were in control, we were operating well, with some good phases, the rest is history I guess."
Moana Pasifika has now recorded three wins in 2025, beating both the Hurricanes and Waratahs at home at North Harbour, plus defeating the Crusaders in Christchurch last weekend.
The side will now meet the defending champions, the Blues, next weekend.
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