The scoreboard may not have been in their favour, but Moana Pasifika will take plenty away from their maiden Super Rugby outing against the Crusaders on Friday.
The competition newcomers were a physical force against the perennial champions, scoring the first try of the match and keeping the contest competitive in a 33-12 defeat at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Forced to contend with a COVID-19 outbreak within their squad which delayed their debut a fortnight, Moana Pasifika unleashed all of that frustration with a high-energy, aggressive approach akin to an opened bottle of shaken fizzy drink.
Ultimately, the Crusaders were able to ease clear of the plucky new kids on the block, but not without leaving Moana Pasifika coach Aaron Mauger proud and highly encouraged for what's to come.
"The work ethic was really fuelled by what this team stands for," Mauger said. "It's really about serving our people, serving our ancestry, those who have gone before us, and those we want to inspire and follow us.
"You could see that in the repetition. Making tackles, big shots, getting up, play after play against the juggernaut which is the Crusaders.
"We managed to withstand so much of that pressure. That fuel of passion, of family, is something that was evident, and something we're really proud of. Now it's about sharpening our execution up, so we can turn that around.
"In the second half we had some opportunities to put the Crusaders under pressure, and they started to feel it as well.
"First game, not too bad. I know we’ll be sharper next week, and we’ll keep getting better."
Mauger singled out playmakers Lincoln McClutchie and Danny Toala for special mention, after stand-out performances from the Hawke's Bay duo which were pivotal to his side's cause.
"I thought both Danny and Lincoln were outstanding tonight," Mauger said.
"Obviously we had to defend for long parts, but I think Danny and Lincoln showed what they are capable of."
Even Crusaders coach Scott Robertson admitted to a sense of pride in Moana Pasifika's display, as they maintained their pace for the full 80 minutes, despite a disrupted build-up to the match.
"I'm really stoked for them, really proud," said Robertson. "I'm also relieved to get a bonus point.
"We thought the last 20 [minutes] we might have run over them. I think they had made 116 or 120 tackles by that time and teams that do that, normally they are going to go.
"For them being in their rooms for a long period of time and not having the cohesion and training under their belt...it was an immense effort."
A patented Codie Taylor's maul try in the dying stages secured the Crusaders a bonus point on a night Robertson described as "clunky".
"When we didn't execute early the defence defended with courage and ferocity,” Robertson said.
"We just couldn't get over that line and execution was poor, we kept them in it.
"We made them make the tackles we wanted to and then bang, they scored a try and lifted again."
Moana Pasifika will try to keep that momentum rolling, when they square off with the Hurricanes next Saturday, while the Crusaders take on the Chiefs.
