Northern Edition
Select Edition
Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Ardie Savea is changing the course of history with Moana Pasifika

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 05: Captain Ardie Savea of Moana Pasifika and Captain Hugh Sinclair of the Waratahs lead the teams out for the round eight Super Rugby Pacific match between Moana Pasifika and NSW Waratahs at North Harbour Stadium, on April 05, 2025, in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images)

You can’t dream it, if you can’t see it. 

ADVERTISEMENT

With all due respect to Moana Pasifika, I doubt many aspiring professional rugby players have dreamed of pulling on their jersey. 

Until now, that is. 

The merit of having Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby Pacific has never been in dispute. At least from my point of view. 

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

I’ve looked at the rise of Tonga and Samoa in international rugby league and argued long and loud that every attempt should be made to replicate that in rugby. 

No-one stands to benefit from that more than New Zealand Rugby (NZR). 

We look longingly to past Bledisloe Cup series’ and wonder if Australia can ever be the foe we remember them as. Well, we can wait all we like for that day to come or we can try and realise the playing and commercial potential of some of our other Pacific neighbours instead. 

A successful Moana Pasifika franchise would represent an enormous step in that direction. 

ADVERTISEMENT

I wasn’t sure we’d ever see one. I feared it would always be a landing spot for players not deemed good enough for New Zealand’s other Super sides. 

It’s incredible to think one man has potentially changed the course of history, but that’s what Ardie Savea is in the process of doing. 

Moana Pasifika isn’t without icons. Coach Tana Umaga is as inspirational a leader as New Zealand rugby has seen, while Julian Savea remains a beloved figure despite his best playing days being well behind him. 

But Moana Pasifika doesn’t enjoy the, frankly, incredible success it’s had this season without Ardie Savea the man and the player. 

ADVERTISEMENT

He could be plying his trade anywhere in the world right now. The doors of every club in the world would be open to him, should he wish. 

A legend of Hurricanes rugby, no-one would have batted an eyelid should Savea have sought to play out the rest of his Super Rugby career there.  

Only he didn’t.  

Always fiercely proud of his Samoan heritage, and open about the debt he owed his immigrant parents for giving him this opportunity in New Zealand, Savea went with his heart when signing for Moana Pasifika. 

I suspect some people regarded that as an indulgence, maybe even a token gesture. Great player that he is, surely even Savea couldn’t turn Moana Pasifika into a competitive outfit on his own. 

It was nice to see Moana Pasifika beat the Highlanders this year. Dismantling the Crusaders in Christchurch was a massive milestone, but nothing compares to Saturday’s 27-21 victory over the Blues at North Harbour Stadium. 

You’d run out of superlatives trying to describe the size of Savea’s contribution to that win.  What’s easier to do is imagine the Auckland rivalry that’s suddenly landed in NZR’s lap. Didn’t take much either, just the rubber stamping of Savea’s shift north from the Hurricanes. 

How many Blues players wished they were on the other side on Saturday night? How many players at other franchises pondered the same? How many kids watching in the stands or on television set their hearts on becoming Moana Pasifika players one day? How many fans, who weren’t at North Harbour Stadium, are going to be at FMG Stadium this weekend to see them play the Chiefs? 

Where there was once a team that few people were interested in, now there’s a side that could ignite the kind of Pacific passion in this country previously reserved for Tonga’s rugby league team. 

Who would have ever thought that? Who could ever have imagined that stadiums in New Zealand would become red seas of Tonga supporters?  

Not me. 

But then, who among us could have ever foreseen the impact Savea could have on Moana Pasifika this season and the team, in turn, upon this competition. 

He dared to dream, he dared to blaze the trail. 

Let’s hope this is only the beginning. 

Download the RugbyPass app now!

News, stats, live rugby and more! Download the new RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now!

ADVERTISEMENT
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

1 Comment
B
BH 25 days ago

As a person who belongs to a minority, nothing can compare to seeing your heroes from the same background as you achieving greatness and how inspirational that can be. It basically says to any young kid “see you can do it too”.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

R
RedWarriors 4 minutes ago
'Not a normal rugby team' - The Leinster flex that floored Jake White

I was actually at the match. Leinster were the outstanding team in the league stage. Leinster’s squad depth meant the Bulls could only nick a late win in Pretoria against an understrenght Leinster. Simple put, Leinster are significantly better this year compared to last. The Dublin match last year was a big win by Leinster. Yes they won by a point in the RDS three years ago but thats not relevant to yesterday.

As Leinster are such a dangerous team, it forces an opponent to focus on a strategy to undermine them and that way get their game on the pitch. Leinster allowed that against Northampton. But that was not going to happen again. The Bulls attack in last 10 minutes of the first half was as savage as anything in the URC this year. Yet Leinsters coaching plan repelled them allied to savage commitment from the players. The defense was outstanding, pressure at breakdown outstanding. Leinster did not win the European cup but arguably at their best this year no other European team could reach that height. They reached that yesterday. Leinster completely removed Bulls ability to hurt them.

And Croke Park….100 years ago the Brits fired machine guns into spectators injuring 100s and killing loads. No Irish team ever performs badly there. Same with Irish supporters. Opposition players might as well be Brit Tommies with machine guns.

I think a great Leinster team, played a great game plan, to the height of their power in a horrible stadium for opponents. If Bulls score before half time they were back in the match. They went down, but they went down fighting.

12 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Bath player ratings vs Leicester Tigers | 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership final Bath player ratings vs Leicester Tigers | 2024/25 Premiership final
Search