The Super Rugby Pacific franchise is set to be disbanded after ownership on Wednesday confirmed it would not continue funding the "unviable" operation beyond this season.
Introduced in 2022 alongside Fijian Drua, Pasifika was designed to represent Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands.
But plans to base the club in Samoa never eventuated and, apart from a single game in Apia and another in Tonga in five seasons, have instead operated in obscurity in Auckland.
A World Rugby package initially funded the franchise before Pasifika Medical Association became a majority owner in 2024.
License holders New Zealand Rugby insist there is hope fresh investors - the operation reportedly costs upwards of $7 million annually - can resuscitate the team that sits last after an eighth successive loss, in Sydney to NSW Waratahs on Friday night.
But the likelihood is a 10-team competition without a Pasifika presence for 2027 and Umaga, the first All Black captain of Samoan descent, is concerned.
"We understand why we're here and for people that look like us, have our background, that's important," the coach, set to take up an assistant role for the All Blacks next year, said.
"A professional environment created by us; that means a lot."
Of particular concern is the future for the Samoan and Tongan Test teams battling to develop into competitive rugby nations.
Many of their emerging players are currently on the Moana Pasifika roster.
"The gap between where we (Samoa and Tonga) are currently, internationally, to where we need to get to, is very big," Umaga said.
"Without Moana to bridge that gap, it's going to be tough.
"If we keep going the way we're going, the possibility (is that) they might not make the next cycle of the World Cup."
Players currently reaping the benefits are devastated by the news and how it will affect others in a similar way.
"This team gave me a chance in Super Rugby and I got to debut for my country, my dad's country of birth and then I got to go to a World Cup," said utility back William Havili.
"It is tough because I feel for my Samoan and Tongan brothers that we have in our team.
"They've come straight from Tonga or Samoa, but they might not get a chance next year now and there's some really exciting kids that we have training with us that might just get overlooked now."
The looming threat is that Pacific players could be lost to rugby league as the rival code continues to strengthen its hold in the region.
"That's the real risk," Umaga said. "What is the answer if it's not us, then what? If we're not there, then what for Samoa and Tonga?"
As talk naturally turns to the future, players and staff at Moana Pasifika are refusing to give up hope that the team's license could be snapped up by a new investor dedicated to their cause.
"There's a glimmer of hope for us and that's what we've got to look forward to and we've just got to keep pushing forward," said Umaga.
"We're still holding onto hope for Moana for next season, it's not all doom and gloom," Moana's Sydney-born, Tongan flyhalf Patrick Pellegrini said.
"We've all said you've got to make a decision what's best for you and your family at the end of the day, whether that's moving on or holding on."
18°C