Former All Black Prop Atu Moli to Debut for Moana Pasifika

2026-03-11 - 04:59

Former All Black prop Atu Moli will make his debut for Moana Pasifika when they take on the Blues at Eden Park on Sunday afternoon. The 30-year-old joined Moana Pasifika as an injury replacement and brings a wealth of experience from Super Rugby and the international stage with the New Zealand national rugby union team. Moli was the youngest forward in the All Blacks squad at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and previously spent seven seasons with the Chiefs and two seasons with the Western Force. He also captained the New Zealand Under‐20 rugby union team. Throughout his career, Moli has battled several injuries but has continued to persevere in his efforts to return to the field. He is also one of four talented Moli brothers now involved with Moana Pasifika, alongside Samiuela, Monu and Sekope. “It’s pretty cool that we get to train together at this level,” Moli said. “I’ve always asked Samiuela about what Moana’s like. I was always interested in the culture and coming here now and witnessing it, it’s like being home again.” Moli said his faith and family played a major role in helping him through the difficult periods of his career. “In the earlier days of my career, I was riding the high life and making teams,” he said. “Then when the injuries started kicking in, it started going downhill for me. “Last year I was thinking about throwing in the towel and retiring because I wasn’t getting any interest. What kept me going was God, my wife, son and family — my circle helped me through those times.” Moana Pasifika head coach Tana Umaga said Moli has earned his opportunity. “We’re excited to see Atu out on the field. He’s worked really hard to get to where he is now,” Umaga said. “Coming back from multiple injuries isn’t easy, but he hasn’t given up and is an excellent example of resilience and persistence, which is very inspiring.” Umaga added that his side is expecting a strong challenge from the Blues. “The Blues are coming off a good win and we know they’ll be looking for some revenge. We’ve just got to focus on ourselves and get our game right.” Moana Pasifika also welcomes back Tito Tuipulotu, Lalomilo Lalomilo and William Havili after recovering from injuries. Patrick Pellegrini returns to the starting first five position, while Glen Vaihu shifts to the left wing following an impressive individual performance against the Chiefs last week. The bench has also been reshuffled with Mamoru Harada, Monu Moli, Veikoso Poloniati, Tuna Tuitama and Dominic Ropeti returning to the match-day 23. Skilful halfback Joel Lam earns selection again after a superb performance last week, when he came off the bench to play the entire second half.