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Waratahs welcome rare NZ talent for Drua clash
Darren Walton, AAP •  February 18th, 2026 5:31 pm
Former Crusaders hooker Ioane Moananu will bolster the Waratahs' front row depth this season | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
Coach Dan McKellar is expecting a qualified nurse to make a big impact when he makes his NSW Waratahs debut this week.
After scoring five tries in 12 appearances during the Crusaders' march to the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific title, Ioane Moananu opted to cross the Tasman in search for more opportunities this Super Rugby Pacific season.
The 25-year-old wound up signing a one-season deal with the Tahs after being stuck behind the Crusaders' first-choice hookers George Bell and Codie Taylor.
McKellar was convinced about Moananu's class and off-field values after sounding out Wallabies veteran James O'Connor - a teammate of the former Counties Manukau star - in Christchurch early last year.
NSW Waratahs coach Dan McKellar praised Moananu as possessing a "really good skill set" | Photo: Bianca De Marchi/AAP
"Firstly he spoke about him as a character, you know, gregarious, much loved, really happy, very caring, always thinking about others," McKellar said on Wednesday after naming Moananu on the bench for Friday night's hosting of the Fijian Drua in Sydney.
"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.
"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."
McKellar said he found it difficult to leave the new recruit out last week before having little option to promote Moananu to the bench after Folau Fainga'a was concussed in the Waratahs' season-opening 36-12 win over Queensland last Friday night.
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The coach said Moananu had already become a welcome addition at the Waratahs, both on field and off, saying the Auckland-born talent's traits were rare.
"It's being able to flip the switch, isn't it? When you're in between the white lines out there, you've got to go and compete," he said.
"And then when we're inside, we're relaxed and we're enjoying team meetings and having a laugh and taking the mickey out of each other, you're seeing the human side of one another.
"So we're getting that balance right.
"But we're one game in so we won't go too far ahead of ourselves."
While the Waratahs enjoyed a rare season-opening win over the Reds, after losing the previous six, the Drua suffered a rare home loss at Churchill Park last Saturday.
The Fijians are coming off a 40-26 defeat to Moana Pasifika, leaving the Waratahs wary of a backlash.
"We've just got to get our own stuff in order, and Fiji will do what Fiji do," McKellar said.
"They're unique. They're very different than most teams you play against.
"A lot less structure, with athletes that can hurt you with offloads and from turnovers.
"So we need to be sharp, in and around the breakdown in particular."
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