Moana Pasifika have unveiled their eighth signing for Super Rugby Pacific, recruiting 35-year-old former Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu to provide experience in the front row.
Kepu won 110 caps for the Wallabies before joining London Irish in the UK, but he returned to his native New Zealand this year and was part of the Counties Manukau squad for the NPC.
Kepu will join another former Wallaby, Christian Leali’ifano, at the new Super Rugby franchise as the second of up to eight players that Moana Pasifika can sign even though they are not eligible for Tonga. Samoa, the Cook Islands or Fiji.
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Moana Pasifika are releasing their player signings in batches each day, and have so far named Kepu, Leali’ifano, Ereatara Enari, Neria Foma’i, Solomone Funaki, Sione Tu’ipulotu, Tomasi Alosio and Henry Taefu as part of their inaugural squad for 2022.
About 30 of the 38-strong Moana Pasifika squad have already been locked in, with contracts offered to the remaining players.
However, current All Blacks captain Ardie Savea won’t be part of the squad, with Moana Pasifika coach Aaron Mauger telling SENZ on Monday that Savea’s potential involvement would not happen until later in his career.
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Savea is off contract this year but seems likely to re-sign with the Hurricanes.
“Ardie is a great example of a guy who understands his ability to influence and really serve the Pasifika community,” Mauger said.
“You look at Ardie’s growth over the last couple of years, and ultimately I’ve admired that at a distance… speaking in his native tongue, per-game and post-game, and connecting the Pasifika community.
“That’s a good example of where we want to be in this space.
“Rugby is a great vehicle for us, it’s really important. But, it’s not actually the main thing for Moana Pasifika.
“This is really about a community journey, and we want to take all of our people with us.
“Unfortunately Ardie won’t be part of that, not in this initial stage anyway, but who knows down the track.”
Mauger also revealed that Moana Pasifika were yet to complete their coaching and medical teams, while the inability of the Auckland-based teams to take part in this year’s NPC had complicated the recruitment picture.
However, Mauger said high-performing provincial unions such as Hawke’s Bay – where Enari and Funaki have been in strong form – had given Moana Pasifika plenty to work with.
“It has been a bit of a challenge, the recruitment,” Mauger told SENZ.
“But the staff we’ve had on board have trawled through lots of footage.
“We’re really excited by the squad… that’s the beauty of the NPC.
“A lot of our Pasifika players are based in New Zealand and are plying their trade in good provinces, with good support structures around them.
“A lot of them just need an opportunity. The beauty is that we can provide that opportunity through Moana Pasifika.
“Some of these guys will be unknown to many, but the potential and the ability these guys have to hit the ground running and really make an impact on Super Rugby is massive.”
This article was originally published on stuff.co.nz and is reproduced with permission