NZR Board Member and former Manu Samoa and All Blacks legend Lau’uli Sir Michael Jones says the announcement was a significant milestone. “We are now on the cusp of realising a long-held desire to include Pasifika in our professional game and the opportunity to embrace all that comes with that.”
New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson says they are moving into the final phase of planning for 2022 and beyond. “In the next two months we will be working with Rugby Australia and the two Pasifika teams to formalise their place in the new competition for what we believe will kick off an exciting, new era for the professional game.”
Moana Pasifika Steering Committee Co-Chair and CEO of the Pacific Business Trust Pelenato Sakalia says,
“We are excited to finally be so close to bringing the dream to reality, but there is still hard work to do, and we cannot afford to miss the moment. This decision on a license enables Moana Pasifika to proceed with confidence and complete a number of financial obligations to sign off in the coming weeks, and formalise our player, coach and staff recruitment.”
Image credit: Moana Pasifika Facebook/Instagram