Rugby, romance, and a ring: Couple get engaged at the game

Fans of Moana Pasifika were treated to more than an exciting rugby match over the weekend when Fijian Sakiusa Waqa (Naloto, Tailevu) pulled off a surprise proposal at halftime.

Mena Petaia, 30, had no idea what was coming but recalls when she started to suspect something was amiss.

"At halftime, no one was moving, and I thought we were going to go get some doughnuts because I was pretty hungry,” she says.

“And then my sister changed seats, and I thought, 'My sister never changes seats; she's always really close to us', and then she pulled her phone out."

Petaia’s suspicions were confirmed when the stadium screen flashed the words "Congratulations."

"I was like, ‘Congratulations for what?’ And then I turned around, and that's when he was on his knees."

For Waqa, 27, the proposal effort began two days earlier when he sought Petaia’s parents' blessing.

"They were in tears, tears of joy. Her mum was like, 'Oh, it's about time that Mena was going to get married’."

Waqa originally planned to propose at Victoria Park but says a friend convinced him to pull off the grand gesture at the game and contacted the Crusaders’ media team to make it happen.

"I was super nervous. I was prepared with a ring that was in a Nike bag, and I was looking at the time while the game was going on, and the last time I checked there were three minutes left and I saw the cameraman and I was like, ‘This is it, no more backing out from this’.

"I had so much faith that she'd say yes," Waqa admits, before joking, "If she said no, I would have thrown the ring away. I would have looked for someone else!"

Petaia (Nuusuatia, Saleamua, Salelesi, Leauvaa - Sāmoa) describes the moment as unreal.

Their special moment was captured on the big screen. Photo/Screenshot

"At first I was really embarrassed, well not embarrassed, I was just like, ‘there's so many eyes,’ because the camera was on us for a long time, but I was just trying not to cry, trying to hold everything in.

“We have this saying in our relationship about ‘til the wheels fall off,’ so he was saying that, but amongst all the screaming, I couldn't hear it, but he told me afterwards, which was very special.”

The couple from Strowan, an inner-city suburb, has plenty to celebrate as Moana Pasifika went on to pull off a historic 45-29 victory over the Crusaders.

A match made in sport

Petaia works as a diabetes nurse and plays for the Linwood Rugby Club, while Waqa is a sales representative who plays for the Belfast Rugby Club in Christchurch and Eastern Saints Rugby in Fiji.

The pair have been together for nearly a year, having met through at a mutual friend's birthday party.

Petaia says it almost didn’t happen because they were tired from their individual matches that weekend.

"That day, we had a pretty big game, but we went because we hadn't seen our friends in a while. I was there to be there for my best friend, and then there was this guy following me around all night and I was like, ‘Oh, I might just talk to him’."

Mena Petaia and Sakiusa Waqa have been dating for almost a year. Photo/Supplied

As for the wedding, Petaia says they have had a few chats and can agree on one key detail.

"I've always known I wanted a destination wedding, so we just know it's going to be in Fiji."

Waqa lists the qualities he loves about Petaia: "She's so supportive of everything I do, and she's open, that's why I love her."

Petaia is equally enchanted. “I love his caring nature and his love for family. The amount of respect he has for my family, especially my parents, is what every Sāmoan girl dreams of.”