After toppling the high-flying Reds in their own backyard, attention shifts to New Zealand’s north-island where our Brumbies take on Moana Pasifika.
Less than an hour south of Auckland, the Canberrans will play their penultimate away match of the regular season. Seeing as though 7 rounds remain, our back-ended home fixtures should prove the perfect launching pad as we look to charge up the ladder. To do so, collecting a win on the road this Saturday is a must.
In the way stands a Moana Pasifika side enjoying their best season in the club’s short history. After only 8 matches, the Pasifika side are only one win away from matching their previous high of 4 season wins. More remarkably, their three wins have come against the top-of-the-table Crusaders, Hurricanes, and Waratahs.
The two sides head into the match off the back of opposing results. Whilst Moana succumbed to a rejuvenated Blues outfit in Auckland, our Brumbies secured a third-straight win over the Reds in Brisbane.
Recent history is on the Brumbies side. The ACT men have won their last six matches against Pacific Island teams, scoring six or more tries in five of those games. Moana Pasifika, however, will take confidence from the fact that their only match-up with the Brumbies in New Zealand went their way. No matter which way you look at it, all signs point to an intriguing contest.
As far as individual matchups are concerned, they don’t get much better than this weekend. Noah Lolesio returned from the bye with a commanding performance against the Reds. In steering his side to victory, Lolesio produced the type of form that saw him become a mainstay in Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies squad. He is likely to come up against arguably the competition’s form player in Patrick Pellegrini. Pasifika coach Tana Umaga raised eyebrows when he benched the fly-half last week, opting instead for a strong bench. Regardless, the fly-half who can display the most composure will likely walk away with the victory.
Rugby fans’ eyes were surely drawn to the back-row battles on the team sheet. Rob Valetini and Miracle Faiilagi might be wearing the same number, but the two will be looking to settle their differences come Saturday. Both are fierce competitors, as well as powerhouses of the competition. Without Ardie Savea, the spotlight shifts to Faiilagi, who has shone brightly in season 2025. Rob Valetini is coming off a season-best game and looks to be regaining form at the right time.
Tune in via Stan Sport and catch all the action with a 2:35pm kick-off.
Looking ahead to our Anzac Weekend Round clash against the Hurricanes, Members are reminded of our two for one ticket deal with the Canberra Raiders. Brumbies Members have a special offer with 20% off tickets for Raiders vs Dolphins at GIO Stadium on Sunday 27 April. Details in last week’s The Round Up – Brumbies Newsletter.
