Waratahs hooker Ioane Moananu thrives in rugby’s tightest spaces. His role primarily involves short carries into a wall of opposition bodies, grinding a scrum forward or popping up at the back of a maul to muscle over for a try.
After 42 minutes of Saturday’s win over the Fijian Drua, Moananu tore up his job description. Receiving the ball over 25 metres out, the 25-year-old outsprinted Fiji Test winger Manasa Mataele to score. It was his fifth try in six games for NSW, but Moananu is still wondering how he made it to the line.
“You don’t usually see a front-rower in open space like that, but my whole focus was, ‘I need to get to this tryline’,” Moananu said.
“I heard [Waratahs halfback] Teddy Wilson calling for it, and I was like, ‘I’m not passing this to Teddy. I need to get to the tryline or I’m getting cooked during the week by the coaches’. But fortunately enough, I got to the try line.
“That’s the furthest I think I’ve run to score a try. Most of them are from mauls, or from five metres with a pick-and-go…
“I probably credit most of my tries to the forwards. I’m just sitting behind them. I get the credit, but those boys are the ones that are doing all the hard work and are the brains behind it.”
Moananu’s two tries against the Drua have made him the Waratahs’ third-highest try scorer, behind Max Jorgensen (7) and Sid Harvey (6), but his main concern right now is his status as one of the last professional hookers left standing in NSW.
Ethan Dobbins is out for the rest of the season with a foot injury and his former flatmate Folau Fainga’a is still managing a knee complaint. Moananu was wearing a knee brace on his left leg on Tuesday, but it’s considered precautionary and he should be fit to play against the Brumbies this Friday.
Two weeks ago, the former Crusader was getting ready to line up in the Shute Shield with Western Sydney Two Blues – but due to the injury curse afflicting NSW hookers, he’s currently the Waratahs’ first choice.
Moananu, an extremely popular member of the Tahs squad, is also out of contract next season. The New Zealander is open to staying beyond his current one-year deal but must also weigh up family commitments, with his partner still living in Auckland.
“I’ve loved my time at the Waratahs,” Moananu said. “I’ve enjoyed being here in Sydney and being around the boys. These boys have really made the Waratahs feel like home for me and they’ve accepted me.
“I’m at that point where now I’m renegotiating, so I’m just having talks at the moment with my agent and seeing where that goes, seeing what’s best for me and my family as well back in New Zealand.
“I’ve got my partner back at home and doing long-distance is so hard. I’ve also got my family back home as well, and family is real important to me, so that decision will be mostly based around what’s best for my family and me.”
Ahead of the Brumbies clash on Friday in Sydney, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has recovered from a tight hamstring that kept him out of the win against the Drua and is set for selection.
Suaalii’s return will present a selection headache for Waratahs coach Dan McKellar, with out-of-contract Triston Reilly impressing as an outside centre against the Drua, his usual position for his club Randwick.
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