Moana Pasifika bow out of Super Rugby with sadness but in style

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Moana Pasifika's four-year tenure in Super Rugby ended not with a whimper but a bang Saturday when they snapped a 12-match losing streak by beating the playoff-bound Brumbies in their last match in the tournament.

Playing with 14 men for the last 20 minutes after center Faletoi Peni received a second yellow card which became a red card, Moana Pasifika hung on to beat the Brumbies 21-19 for their second win of the season.

The impulse to celebrate was overwhelmed by the pathos of the moment. After the final whistle the Moana Pasifika players and staff formed a circle and sang a poignant hymn which evoked both their pride and sadness that their journey together has ended.

The Moana Pasifika organization has been placed in liquidation and, though efforts are still being made to save the team which offers players of Pasifika heritage a pathway to professional rugby, the future seems forlorn.

New Zealand Rugby will ensure the players and staff are paid through July and the New Zealand government is to provide some financial assistance. But that is not likely to be enough to allow the team to continue and Super Rugby will be a 10-team competition next year.

A group of former All Blacks is still hopeful of taking over the team but with a liquidator in place, that seems increasingly unlikely.

Among many farewells, head coach Tana Umaga is leaving to become an assistant to new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie. Many of the players will join the Pacific diaspora, playing for clubs overseas.

But Umaga says the spirit that motivated the creation of Moana Pasifika won't die with the team.

The legacy is what we've left behind," he said. "You've seen the support of our Pacific people. We have a good vibe and I think that's encouraging.

"We'll always have our supporters that support us through our family and our culture. Everything that we did through our club and what we tried to portray was we were unapologetically Pacific and some people really resonated with that and enjoyed that. And that's just us being us."

The last pieces of the playoff picture clicked into place over the last weekend of the regular season.

The Wellington-based Hurricanes retained first place despite an awful 47-14 loss to the Crusaders who jumped ahead of the Auckland-based Blues when the Blues lost 59-34 to the Chiefs.

That means the Hurricanes in Wellington, the Chiefs in Hamilton and the Crusaders in Christchurch will host matches in the first round of the playoffs next weekend.

The Hurricanes will play the ACT Brumbies on Friday while the Chiefs will play the Queensland Reds and the Crusaders will play the Blues on Saturday.

The decision by the Hurricanes to field an under-strength team against the Crusaders may haunt them in the playoffs. Their defeat snapped a five-match winning streak and might have stripped away the momentum they were carrying into the playoffs. They have the security of a second chance if they lose next weekend which will allow them to advance to the semifinals regardless.

The Crusaders and Chiefs both are heading into the playoffs with momentum after big wins over other teams that have qualified for the playoffs.

The Chiefs have been strong in the late or post-season recently, reaching the final in each of the last three years. The Crusaders are unbeaten in 32 playoff matches at home.

The Queensland Reds also won their last-round match, beating the Fijian Drua 45-24, finishing with an 8-6 record. The Drua are 5-9 after a mixed season in which they ended their long losing streak away from home by beating the Brumbies in Canberra in round 10.

The Brumbies are an enigma, blessed with talent across the field but prone to turning in sub-standard performances at home, as they did against Moana Pasifika on Saturday.

While the Australian teams have been inconsistent again this season, new head coach Les Kiss will see the makings of a solid Wallabies lineup. There is strength in the second row, backrow, at scrumhalf, in midfield and the outside backs. Questions remain in the playmaker role and in the front row.