Moana Pasifika beat Brumbies in final match

June 1, 2026

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Moana Pasifika ended their season with a brave 21-19 win over the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday. The rugby team fought back from 14-0 down to surprise one of the stronger sides in the competition. It was only Moana Pasifika’s second win of the season, but it was a proud and powerful finish.

The match came during a difficult week for the team. Their future was uncertain after their owners went into liquidation, and New Zealand Rugby had to help pay salaries and travel costs. Even with these worries, Moana Pasifika showed great spirit on the field.

Patrick Pellegrini led the comeback with two quick tries, and he converted both to make the score level at halftime. Later, Melani Matavao scored a converted try that helped seal the win. Moana Pasifika also had to play the final 17 minutes with only 14 players after Faletoi Peni received a second yellow card.

Coach Tana Umaga said he was proud of the team and hopeful about its future. He said the players showed the purpose of representing their culture, families and Pasifika people. Captain Miracle Faiilagi said the win meant a lot and was for their supporters, family and friends.

Article written by Milli Banbury

This article was written using AI as an assistive tool for research, writing, and proofreading.
The te reo Māori version of this article was translated with AI assistance. While care has been taken to keep it accurate, if you spot anything that doesn't read quite right, please let us know

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Digital Thinking

Learning Options

Recall Questions

Thinking questions

Digital Thinking

On Saturday morning, a group of Year 8 students met at a beach near Tauranga for a community clean-up. They brought gloves, sacks, and water bottles. At first, the sand looked almost clean, but as the group moved closer to the rocks, they found bottles, food wrappers, and fishing line tangled in the seaweed. One student noticed that small pieces of plastic were hardest to collect because they blended in with the shells. By midday, the students had filled eight large bags. Their teacher said the real success was not only the rubbish they removed, but also the way the students helped protect the wildlife that lives along the shore.

Which sentence best summarises the main idea of the passage?

The students found that small pieces of plastic were hardest to collect because they blended in with the shells. By midday, the students had filled eight large bags with rubbish. The students brought gloves, sacks, and water bottles to the beach. A group of students cleaned up a beach and helped protect the wildlife there.