This article originally appeared on Stuff and was reproduced with permission.
The history keeps on coming for Moana Pasifika.
A week after their majestic maiden win over the Crusaders, Tana Umaga’s ambitious excitement machine of a team has now netted back-to-back Super Rugby Pacific victories for the first time in history.
A 45-28 result over the Waratahs at New Zealand’s North Harbour Stadium on a sunny Saturday afternoon is how it will go down in the book, but there was so much more to the story.
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The home side rallied from a 21-7 half-time deficit to produce a remarkable 38-7 second 40 minutes, even bagging a bonus point for good measure in the closing stages.
And they had the most unlikely of hat-trick heroes in the form of Feleti Sae-Ta’ufo’ou, the 22-year-old tighthead prop, in his maiden Super Rugby Pacific season and fourth appearance, adding to his first-half barge over with two more power-packed close-range efforts in the 44th and 52nd minutes.
He then hobbled off in the 54th, probably still coming to terms with what on earth he had just achieved.
While the Waratahs hit straight back and it seemed Feleti Sae-Ta’ufo’ou’s efforts may go down as one of the most unrewarded feats of all time, then came the stunning four-try final-quarter surge that drove another dagger into the Sydneysiders, on the back of their 57-12 humiliation to the Hurricanes last week, their biggest loss in four years.
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Feleti Sae-ta’ufo’ou of Moana Pasifika. Getty
The Waratahs are the only team Moana had enjoyed a winning record against, and now Dan McKellar’s side, which has now lost seven games on the trot away from home, is sure to have nightmares after inspirational captain Ardie Savea and the silky skills of No.10 Patrick Pellegrini and No.15 William Havili ripped them to shreds down the stretch.
The two playmakers combined in style in the 61st minute when Havili ducked under a tackle of Henry O’Donnell, surged upfield, and then slowed intelligently and grubbered beautifully for Pellegrini to run onto and score. Then it was Havili who finished himself in the 65th minute to give the hosts the lead for the first time in the game.
And it just kept on coming, with the Waratahs all of a sudden faltering at the lineout, where Moana had also been poor in the first half, with an overthrow being pounced on and a typically superhuman run from Savea laying the platform for Jackson Garden-Bachop to grubber for a flying finish to Fine Inisi.
If it wasn’t bad enough by that point for the Waratahs, a 76th-minute penalty against Taniela Tupou for swearing at Kiwi referee James Doleman then helped seal their fate as Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa crashed over for the bonus-point score.
Teddy Wilson of the Waratahs is congratulated on scoring a try. Getty
Earlier, there had been absolutely nothing for the Moana fans to get excited about, as the Waratahs enjoyed a dominant first half, taking a big hold on the possession and territory and looking dangerous as they spread the ball wide in the sunny conditions, bossing metres carried and clean breaks numbers to the tune of 342-113 and 7-2 respectively.
Moana was hardly in the picture, unable to get anything going, chiefly being its own worst enemy, largely due to a terribly malfunctioning lineout, losing four of its nine first-half throws, as it battled with 44 per cent possession.
And poor old Mills Sanerivi proved quite the culprit, with not only two of the young hooker’s over-throws leading to Waratahs tries, but also a monumental basic tap-kick error also paving the way for the visitors’ other five-pointer of the first stanza.
That proved a turning point in what amounted to a 14-point swing midway through the half, as Moana looked all set to respond to the Waratahs’ sizzling fifth-minute opener, only for Sanerivi, from the penalty five metres out, to not connect his boot with the ball on the ground, and an eagle-eyed Doleman rightly ruling a scrum the Tahs’ way.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is challenged by Fine Inisi of Moana Pasifika. Getty
And from there, Joseph Suaalii lived up to all his hype, with a brilliant burst that set winger Triston Reilly away on a 60-metre surge for his double and make it 14-0.
Moana finally hit back after the half-hour when Pellegrini kicked a penalty perfectly to the corner, Savea powered forward post-maul, and Sae-Ta’ufo’ou drove over.
However, there was still time for Moana to shoot itself in the foot before the break, as Havili managed to boot a ball dead on a near 100-metre hoof, Sanerivi overthrew again, and while a close-run thing proved inconclusive with the TMO, the Waratahs quickly made use of the penalty instead, scrumming solidly and sending Andrew Kellaway over two minutes after the siren, with Lawson Creighton’s excellent goal-kicking boot giving them a 14-point buffer at half-time.
