Moana Pasifika have reviewed their catastrophic defeat to the Chiefs but have now put it behind them as they seek a final-round victory over the Hurricanes that should put them into the playoffs for the first time.
Head coach Tana Umaga, who celebrated his 52nd birthday with his team in the middle of their training pitch at North Harbour Stadium today, has taken the view that the 85-7 defeat in Hamilton was a one-off and mitigated slightly by first-half yellow cards for first-five Patrick Pellegrini and lock Sam Slade.
“The thing we talked about is that the weekend was that it was an anomaly for us,” inside back Jackson Garden-Bachop said today.
“We’ve been playing really well and we didn’t become a bad rugby team overnight.
“There are things to talk about in terms of our mindset. Obviously, we played 35 minutes with 14 men and the Chiefs were on fire. We still have belief in what we’ve been doing because it has worked for us.”
Moana Pasifika’s decision to quickly put their last performance behind them makes sense because they need all the confidence and good vibes – not a problem for this team during their breakout season – they can get before such a franchise-defining match.
The simple formula is that a victory at the Cake Tin on Saturday night is likely to be enough to cement their place in the top six, although a big victory by the Blues over the Waratahs at Eden Park a few hours before could complicate matters.
The Blues are even with Moana Pasifika on competition points – despite having one fewer win this season – so a bonus point victory over the Waratahs could make things difficult for their cross-town rivals.
Such a scenario would mean Moana Pasifika would also need a bonus point victory over an in-form Hurricanes side, who are fourth on the table, to qualify.
It’s an unlikely prospect but the good news for Umaga’s men is that the Waratahs, two competition points behind the Blues in eighth, would put themselves firmly in the playoff mix with a victory at Eden Park.
For Garden-Bachop the upside for his team is that their fate is still in their control. Another point that should be noted is that the Hurricanes can finish no higher than fourth so may not have quite as much to play for.
They could finish fifth, however, which may not be where they want to be should the Crusaders beat the Brumbies in Canberra to qualify for second. If so, the Hurricanes would have to travel to Christchurch for a quarter-final.
It's all adding up to a fascinating final round after which the playoffs seedings will be confirmed.
“That top six spot has always been a target… if we put in a good performance we can grab it with two hands,” Garden-Bachop said.
“We just want to redeem ourselves and perform the way we know we can.”
Will he and the team watch the Blues v Waratahs match, which kicks off at 4.35pm?
“We’ll probably look at the result but for the most part we’ll be looking inward,” he replied.
English lock Tom Savage, one of Moana Pasifika’s most consistent tight forwards, said he had little doubt his adopted family would succeed this season.
“I knew the potential in this group and I was excited by the challenge,” Savage said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy thing and a lot of work had to go into it. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think this was a team that could win the title.”
Savage added that Moana Pasifika had to dominate the collisions against the Hurricanes – an area of the game his side struggled with at Waikato Stadium.
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