Sam BruceFeb 20, 2026, 09:58 AM

CloseSam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia’s digital rugby coverage.

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Ioane Moananu understands why some people might think he’d lost his mind.

“You’ve traded the Crusaders for the Waratahs? A title for eighth? Constant success for the mire of mediocrity? What were you thinking?”

It’s a fair question given the history of the two Super Rugby franchises, but one that carries a relatively simple explanation from the 25-year-old hooker.

“I wanted more game time,” Moananu told ESPN during the preseason. “Obviously, being at the Crusaders, great environment, great people, but then I was behind two All Blacks; unless least there was an injury I was never going to play, to be honest.

“And then coming over here, just coming over for more game time and then also just to experience what it’s like in Australia. I feel like I’ve played in New Zealand, kind of understand what’s the footy’s like in New Zealand, but I want to come over into Australia and have a good crack here.

“The Waratahs was a great opportunity for me. They came to me and I was pretty keen to join them.”

As Moanamu says, the presence of All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor and fellow Test rake George Bell meant there were going to be sparing few opportunities in Christchurch. Still, swapping the unrivalled success of the Crusaders, for the 30 years of underachievement at NSW, was a bold move.

But a conversation with Waratahs coach Dan McKellar proved the catalyst for his switch across the Tasman, the meeting happening the same week that Moananu scored a try in the Crusaders’ 48-33 win in Sydney last year.

Ioane Moananu says the lure of more game time was the main reason he left the Crusaders to join the Waratahs WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images

“I think just the vision that he had for the team and the way that he wanted to play, where his programme was leading; he had a three-year plan and just the way he spoke and the way he sort of showed me how things were going to pan out,” Moananu explained.

“From then on, I was hooked straight away. And then just talking to me about how I could offer my skill set and me as a player [fit] into his game plan. And from then on, I was like, ‘okay sweet, I’m coming’.”

After missing the matchday 23 for Round 1, Moananu was Wednesaday named for his first Super Rugby Pacific game in a Waratahs jersey. The Kiwi has replaced Wallabies hooker Folau Fainga’a on the bench on Friday night, offering cover for Ethan Dobbins, who was hugely impressive in the 36-12 win over the Reds last week.

And if his try-scoring effort against NSW in Sydney last year are anything to go by, Moananu will bring energy and power off the bench against the Fijian Drua, though Waratahs coach McKellar said it was as much the 25-year-old’s off-field persona, as explained by veteran Wallabies playmaker James O’Connor, that convinced him the Kiwi would be an asset for the boys in blue.

“Firstly he spoke about him as a character, you know, gregarious, much loved, really happy, very caring, always thinking about others,” McKellar said. “He’s a qualified nurse, Ioane. Yeah, he’s just a good human being, so that was the first thing that ‘Rab’ (O’Connor) spoke about.

Ioane Moananu celebrates a try after scoring a try for the Crusaders against Moana Pasifika in 2025 Joe Allison/Getty Images

“And then as a hooker, he used to play as a midfielder not that long ago, so he’s got a really good skill set. He’s got good set-piece and he’s also physical, very good in and around the tackle. He can get you the ball back through his pilfer as well.

“So it’s exciting to have him come off the bench for the last 25, 30 minutes.”

After struggling with some homesickness in his first few weeks, a period when Moananu “Facetimed my mum and partner every day”, the hooker now feels right at home in Sydney.

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And he is optimistic about what the season might bring — a win on Friday night would set the Waratahs up for a huge game against competition fancies, the Hurricanes, in a fortnight’s time after NSW has the Round 3 bye.

“The experience that we’ve got at the moment, mixed in with a few of the young guns that we’ve got as well, it’s a good mix of players and I’m just so excited,” he told ESPN. “I’m telling all the boys, I’m so excited for this year. I’ve got a good feeling about our team this year.

“It’s going to be a lot different. I feel like a lot more physical, a lot more fit and a lot more just game smart. I can’t really speak about the Waratahs team in the past, but just my feel of the team this year. I’ve got a really good feeling. I’m just excited for this year.”