Moana Pasifika’s new Tau Moana, shown for the first time tonight at the Super Rugby cultural round, laying down a fierce challenge to its opponents.
Head coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga told ABC Pacific the team’s original fa’avae, created at its inception and representing all the Pacific Islands, was more of a welcome to the opposition.
But now, after four years of growth and evolution, Umaga said the team was at a point where it wanted to “challenge the norms of people’s perception of us”.
“Our new fa’avae is more of a challenge. It again, really depicts the group we have. We want to go out there, represent our people, but we want to make sure that we’re challenging them, it’s not just you can come here,” he said.
“We’ve come here in our way, and we’re here to stay.”
Utility back Danny Toala agreed the new Tau Moana was not to welcome, “but to be a challenge”.
“The meaning behind it for me is past, present and future. So in the past, those who paved the way before us, the present, where we are at now, and then for those in the future, for us is being able to be an inspiration for the next generation coming through,” he said.
Utility back Danny Toala in Samoan cultural attire for the Super Rugby Pacific cultural round.(Supplied: Moana Pasifika)
Toala isn’t sure how often his team will be able to perform the Tau Moana, but he “can’t wait to see the boys perform it.”
“Every chance we get to perform it we’ll make sure we do it to the best of our abilities and after that we can put out a performance, we are proud of.”
Moana Pasifika flanker Sione Havili Talitui greets a fan.(Supplied: Moana Pasifika)
Flanker Sione Havili Talitui said the Tau Moana was “unique and special” and connected him back home.
“Especially for Tongans and Samoans that live in New Zealand, we’re quite far away from home, and it kind of connects us to our family back home.”
‘Here to stay, built to last’
Co-composer Tauveve Andy Tilo-Faiaoga takes the Moana Pasifika boys through a practise of the new Tau Moana.(Supplied: Moana Pasifika)
Samoan co-composer Tauveve Andy Tilo-Faiaoga behind Tau Moana was brought onto Moana Pasifika to create “something special for the boys”.
“Especially in the new direction that the team is going in, as you can obviously see, some really positive things coming out of the team, so they wanted to create something special to match.”
Tilo-Faiaoga told ABC Pacific he had to immerse himself in the world the Moana Pasifika players are in to carry that through their Tau Moana.
“For me, I had to research a lot of the compositions … the words written in there are based of old practices, a lot of them are based off new practices.
“The biggest thing that Tana and the boys wanted to see was just a statement, that this team is here to stay … we’re built to last.”
And once created, Tilo-Faiaoga describes handing over the Tau Moana to the team was nerve wracking.
“I was a bit nervous coming into that first week, like some of these players are high profile, they’ve sacrificed a lot to be in there, their services to their family to peruse this,” he said.
“Giving them something that is part of them is pretty cool, just bridges the gap.”
But to get there Tilo-Faiaoga said it took weeks to create.
“For one Pacific word there’s a million different meanings. So it’s just about narrowing it down and grasping the essence, that was the biggest thing. To grasp the essence of what the challenge was.”
He hopes that the Tau Moana is done to a standard everyone is happy with.
“As long as the team is happy, and the boys are happy with it, then I’m happy with it.”
Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea with Samuel Slade (left) and Lotu Inisi (seated) wearing the heritage jerseys.(Supplied: Moana Pasifika)
Heritage jerseys
The Tau Moana wasn’t the only cultural piece Moana Pasifika debuted at the cultural round.
Their heritage jerseys paid homage to the iconic 2004 Pacific Islands team, which Umaga played against when he was captain of the All Blacks.
Umaga told ABC Pacific that since they released the jerseys, people had asked if he had good memories of that time.
“I actually have nightmares when we played that team. It was a tough game; they really shocked us in terms of they really brought that intensity.”
He said having the team was a “proud moment for the Pacific Islands”.
Posted 51m ago51 minutes agoFri 28 Feb 2025 at 6:12am, updated 40m ago40 minutes agoFri 28 Feb 2025 at 6:23am
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