Moana Pasifika aims to ride wave of inaugural rugby match against Māori All Blacks

The Moana Pasifika rugby team is looking to the future with some optimism after pushing the Māori All Blacks over the weekend.

The composite team lost their first ever match 28-21 to the Māori but led at half-time and kept challenging the defence until the end.

After a week of building combinations while celebrating the cultures and connections of the Pacific, Moana Pasifika coach Fa'alogo Tana Umaga said the performance of the combined pre-match cultural challenge, Tau Kaukawa, was an emotional moment.

He said it marked the beginning of what he hoped the Moana Pasifika would become.

"It was an emotional moment watching with [Samoan and All Black great] Michael [Jones] and watching where we started from on Monday to where they are, watching that grow and what they put into it, it was an emotional feeling for me.

"But also understanding too what it means on both sides, what it means to both groups of people all the way down to the iwi, and then for us all the way through to the history of the people who have opened doors for us, it was a great moment right there because it meant that we were here now."

Fa'alogo hoped it was the start of providing a true pathway for the betterment of the Pacific island nations.

Captain Michael Alaalatoa was an example of someone playing for Samoa while plying his trade in New Zealand and Australia, he said.

It was all about connections, he said.

"Having those connections back to the islands and wanting to build Pacific Island rugby up, I think that should be the end result from my point of view and that's what we've talked about all the time.

"You give us this chance, we'd play it on Boxing Day if you gave it to us, we just wouldn't turn it down because we realise how much it means to our people, how much it means for the betterment and the furtherment of Pacific Island rugby."

While Fa'alogo was disappointed with the result, there was a feeling of achievement, he said.

Included was "seeing the faces of the people around us who were just so proud and so happy that the game went ahead".

He was unsure where the team would go from here, but hoped it had opened some doors.

"It's been a great week, a very proud moment for all of us that are involved... we've seen what can be achieved in a small time," Fa'alogo said.

"After this, we're not sure. We're very proud of what we've done but I'm sure we're all looking forward to going home and having a rest."

The team had created a chain reaction of sorts, he said.

"Once you have a few actions back to back you create a movement and that's what we're about. We've opened up this and now we want to flood through for our people, we can't let this door close, it's open now and we're through it."

Captain Michael Alaalatoa said despite the result, he was happy how his team performed.

"We showed a lot of courage and we showed what we're capable of, and hopefully we get another opportunity to show what we are really capable of. The result didn't go our way in the end, but it was a good way to get us into the game."

He was more nervous for the Tau Kaukauwa cultural challenge.

"I was pretty nervous leading into the game and probably more nervous for the [Tau Kaukauwa] challenge then the actual game itself.

"I've played rugby for so long, but to lead something like that with a team so unique, it was pretty special, and it wasn't lost on me or on the boys as well."

Leading the Tongan part of the challenge was the job of Tonga international Tavake Nasi Manu.

"It's been a special week obviously, reconnecting with the culture, but I was so nervous for the haka but it was a huge honour to lead the Tongan part of it and I'm really proud."

Manu said he was excited about what the future of Pacific Island rugby could look like, if given the chance to have a team play in the Super Rugby competition in 2022.

"A lot of people have worked hard to give us this opportunity tonight and you know it will be so amazing if this team goes through and I think for us it was just special to be the first team to sort of write the first pages and I really do hope there's more to come and this team is just the start."

Māori All Blacks captain Ash Dixon said he was supportive of the Moana Pasifika concept and he'd love to see a Pasifika squad included in the Super Rugby competition.

"Anything that we can create diversity or bring more teams in to create culture or opportunity for players and their countries then why not? Why couldn't we look at that?

"You could see the love they have for each other the Tongans, Samoans and Fijian boys, they were keen to play and do their thing out there so if it opened up doors for the islands and those boys then why not."