With a finals place on the line, Moana players are urged to channel the hurt after their mauling by the Chiefs
After 15 rounds of Super Rugby action, it all comes down to the last home and way game of the season for Moana Pasifika against the Hurricanes at the Cake Tin in Wellington.
It's win or bust, do or die, for head coach Tana Umaga and his team, if they are to make finals for the first time in the short history of the franchise.
And it was all going so well for Moana, with three wins in a row, but then carnage when they were torn apart by the Chiefs a week ago.
So coach Tana's task, together with his inspirational captain Ardie Savea, has been to re-energise the team ahead of their biggest game yet.
And to do that he says his players have to feel the pain of what was a humiliating defeat in Hamilton, and seek redemption against the Hurricanes.
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Stand-in skipper Hugh Sinclair has placed the onus squarely on the NSW forwards as the Waratahs chase a seismic victory in Auckland to scrape into the Super Rugby Pacific finals. The Waratahs must beat the defending champion Blues at Eden Park for the first time since 2009, then hope Moana Pasifika fall to the Hurricanes later on Saturday to secure a miraculous berth in the play-offs. And the Tahs will need to notch a famous victory at New Zealand rugby's traditional graveyard for rival teams without inspirational halfback and captain Jake Gordon. With Gordon out injured, coach Dan McKellar has opted for a new halves combination with flyhalf Jack Bowen promoted to start alongside new No.9 Teddy Wilson at one of rugby's great cauldrons. Playing possibly his last game for NSW with his future beyond this season uncertain, Sinclair is demanding the Waratahs' pack steps up on Saturday afternoon to make life easier for the rookie pairing. 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And the Tahs will need to notch a famous victory at New Zealand rugby's traditional graveyard for rival teams without inspirational halfback and captain Jake Gordon. With Gordon out injured, coach Dan McKellar has opted for a new halves combination with flyhalf Jack Bowen promoted to start alongside new No.9 Teddy Wilson at one of rugby's great cauldrons. Playing possibly his last game for NSW with his future beyond this season uncertain, Sinclair is demanding the Waratahs' pack steps up on Saturday afternoon to make life easier for the rookie pairing. "It's obviously a different beast over here, Eden Park, against the Blues but you've got to throw them in some time," Sinclair said at Friday's captain's run. "You've just got to throw them in and see how we go, and our boys are really excited. "Bowie's been great. He's still got Tane (Edmed) on the bench, you've got Lawson (Creighton) there, (Andrew) Kellaway. It helps having that experience around them as well. "They'll be fine. As long as the pack can get on the front foot and make life a bit easier for those guys, I think we'll get the result. "You've got to take it to them over here at Eden Park, especially against the Blues. They're a quality outfit, so it's exciting and the boys and me are up for the challenge." Sinclair is well aware the Tahs haven't won at Eden Park in 16 years, but feels being underdogs has its advantages. "We've just got to go out there and play," the lock said. "There's no pressure, no expectation for us to win, so we can really just focus on ourselves and not focus on any of the outside noise." If the Waratahs win, they'll face an anxious wait of around three hours to see if the sixth-placed Hurricanes topple the Moana, who are coming off an 85-7 loss to the Chiefs. "Obviously you can't control that, unfortunately," Sinclair said. "We'll do as much as we can to get through and see what happens, I guess." Should they progress, the Waratahs will play either the Chiefs, Crusaders or ACT Brumbies in another do-or-die away match in the first week of the finals. Stand-in skipper Hugh Sinclair has placed the onus squarely on the NSW forwards as the Waratahs chase a seismic victory in Auckland to scrape into the Super Rugby Pacific finals. The Waratahs must beat the defending champion Blues at Eden Park for the first time since 2009, then hope Moana Pasifika fall to the Hurricanes later on Saturday to secure a miraculous berth in the play-offs. And the Tahs will need to notch a famous victory at New Zealand rugby's traditional graveyard for rival teams without inspirational halfback and captain Jake Gordon. With Gordon out injured, coach Dan McKellar has opted for a new halves combination with flyhalf Jack Bowen promoted to start alongside new No.9 Teddy Wilson at one of rugby's great cauldrons. Playing possibly his last game for NSW with his future beyond this season uncertain, Sinclair is demanding the Waratahs' pack steps up on Saturday afternoon to make life easier for the rookie pairing. "It's obviously a different beast over here, Eden Park, against the Blues but you've got to throw them in some time," Sinclair said at Friday's captain's run. "You've just got to throw them in and see how we go, and our boys are really excited. "Bowie's been great. He's still got Tane (Edmed) on the bench, you've got Lawson (Creighton) there, (Andrew) Kellaway. It helps having that experience around them as well. "They'll be fine. As long as the pack can get on the front foot and make life a bit easier for those guys, I think we'll get the result. "You've got to take it to them over here at Eden Park, especially against the Blues. They're a quality outfit, so it's exciting and the boys and me are up for the challenge." Sinclair is well aware the Tahs haven't won at Eden Park in 16 years, but feels being underdogs has its advantages. "We've just got to go out there and play," the lock said. "There's no pressure, no expectation for us to win, so we can really just focus on ourselves and not focus on any of the outside noise." If the Waratahs win, they'll face an anxious wait of around three hours to see if the sixth-placed Hurricanes topple the Moana, who are coming off an 85-7 loss to the Chiefs. "Obviously you can't control that, unfortunately," Sinclair said. "We'll do as much as we can to get through and see what happens, I guess." Should they progress, the Waratahs will play either the Chiefs, Crusaders or ACT Brumbies in another do-or-die away match in the first week of the finals.
