The Moana Pasifika Franchise

[Adam84]

Well they need to replace some of the wingers they’ve lost to other NZ Super Rugby teams, like Kyren Taumoefolau who is absolutely electric.. but will be joining the Chiefs next year and despite been capped for Tonga in the 2023 RWC he has apparently been encouraged to turn down further test matches so he can reset his eligibility to NZ…

 

[Dan54]

Hes a youth prospect so… yes?

No idea who he even is Derps. Or how old etc, I am fortunate enough to never watch league.

 

[WoodysRFC]

Not my point.

It isn't surprising that a player poached from league would be eligible for the NZU if they wanted to select him down the track. Highly unlikely we would see Moana poach any junior players who couldn't end up in an All Blacks jersey.

Tana isn't on the NZR payroll to be fair, in fact, he seems pretty committed to encouraging Kiwi born players to switch over to Samoa etc.

 

[WoodysRFC]

Well they need to replace some of the wingers they’ve lost to other NZ Super Rugby teams, like Kyren Taumoefolau who is absolutely electric.. but will be joining the Chiefs next year and despite been capped for Tonga in the 2023 RWC he has apparently been encouraged to turn down further test matches so he can reset his eligibility to NZ…

He is born and raised in NZ and is only half Tongan, hardly snapped up from the Islands. Would be pretty fucked up if he wasn't allowed the opportunity to represent his country of birth.

 

[Adam84]

He is born and raised in NZ and is only half Tongan, hardly snapped up from the Islands. Would be pretty fucked up if he wasn't allowed the opportunity to represent his country of birth.

Sure it would, but he has never been denied the opportunity; he was selected and agreed to represent Tonga at a RWC.

Now that he is an even more impressive player, NZRU have come knocking, encouraged him to sit out of test rugby until elegibility resets and taken one of Moana's best backs into one of their own teams. Point of the comment is that NZRU are absolutely treating MP (Moana Pasifika) like a nursery for their own purposes.

 

[PhilClinton]

Tana isn't on the NZR payroll to be fair, in fact, he seems pretty committed to encouraging Kiwi born players to switch over to Samoa etc.

You’re delusional if you can’t see the best young Moana players get sucked into a NZ franchise once they’re clearly on the pathway to becoming an AB.