Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua finalised squads on Thursday for Super Rugby Pacific fixtures on April 9, 2026, handing high-profile debuts and hometown returns that shape both teams’ latest selections. The headline moves see veteran lock Jimmy Tupou named to make his Moana Pasifika debut off the bench against the Chiefs at Rotorua International Stadium, while former Fiji 7s playmaker Sikeli Basiyalo earns his first Super Rugby appearance on the right wing for the Drua.
Tupou’s inclusion is notable for Moana Pasifika given his experience at Super Rugby level and overseas. The 30-something lock, who spent recent seasons with the Chiefs in 2024–25 and has a CV including the Blues, Crusaders and Japan’s Urayasu D-Rocks, is listed among the impact players and is expected to bring leadership and physicality against his former club. Moana Pasifika have also named 23-year-old Malakai Hala‑Ngatai to start at loose-head prop — his first Super Rugby start — reflecting a mix of youth and experience up front. Hala‑Ngatai, with links to Te Arawa and coming off a role in the New England Free Jacks’ 2025 title run, featured for New Zealand age-grade sides and the Manawatū academy before moving into the professional ranks.
Semisi Paea’s selection on the bench adds an emotional angle to Moana Pasifika’s Rotorua clash. Paea, raised in Rotorua and a product of Rotorua Boys’ High School who has played for Ngongotaha and Whakarewarewa and represented Bay of Plenty Steamers since 2021, said it was “a dream come true” to be picked in the squad to play in the city that raised him. The game represents the first Super Rugby match in Rotorua in eight years, an occasion the franchise says it hopes will reconnect Pasifika rugby culture with local supporters in the Bay of Plenty region.
Across the Tasman, Glen Jackson has given Drua fans a glimpse of the franchise’s pathway work with the elevation of Sikeli Basiyalo into a matchday starting XV. Basiyalo — a former Cuvu College student from Volivoli village in Nadroga who featured for Fiji 7s at last year’s Hong Kong 7s — was named on the right wing for the Drua’s April 9 fixture, marking his Super Rugby Pacific debut. Jackson also brought in Ilaisa Droasese on the other wing, restored Tuidraki Samusamuvodre at outside centre and named Sikeli Rabitu at fullback, signaling a backline mix aimed at pace and finishing.
The Drua forward pack remains anchored by Haereiti Hetet, Zuriel Togiatama and Mesake Doge with co-captain Isoa Nasilasila and Joseva Tamani as the second-row pairing; loose forwards include Etonia Waqa, Motikiai Murray and Elia Canakaivata. The selection underscores the squad’s blend of Fijian-developed forwards and emerging backs converting sevens speed into the 15-a-side game.
Both selections are the latest developments in a Super Rugby weekend that emphasises local connections and squad depth management — Moana Pasifika’s Rotorua outing is being sold as a homecoming to the Bay of Plenty community, while the Drua continue to blood players from domestic pathways into top-tier competition. Saturday’s matches will test how quickly debutants such as Tupou and Basiyalo can impact at Super Rugby level and how their inclusions influence team dynamics as the season builds.
Leave a comment