Five of the best performers of the week from Super Rugby Pacific

The Hurricanes managed to beat the number one side on the ladder, the Chiefs, while the Blues win over the Force kept their playoff hopes alive and put them in the top six.

The Fijian Drua secured a much-needed home win over the Queensland Reds and Moana Pasifika had a big win over the Highlanders.

Here are the standout performers in an action-packed round from round 12 of Super Rugby Pacific as the season enters the final stretch.

Dalton Papali’i (Blues)

The Blues 40-19 victory over the Force flatted the hosts. The Blues made 90 more tackles than the visitors and lost a third of their lineouts. While the attack was sparkling at times, with Beauden Barrett to the fore, it was the Blues scrum and defence that were notably sharper than the poor display against the Reds in Brisbane last Friday.

Dalton Papali’i left the field injured after 30 minutes in the narrow defeat to the Crusaders a fortnight ago. The All Blacks flanker returned with gusto, topping the tackle count with 22 and bullying at the breakdown with two turnovers and enough disruption to almost compel the residents of Mount Eden to complain to the council about yet another afront.

Papali’i ranks inside the top five of Super Rugby Pacific for most tackles made with 168. Last year, he finished second in the tackle count with 208.

“It’s never really nice when your coach is questioning your attitude, but I think that’s what we needed,” Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu told Sky Sport NZ afterward.

“A bit of a wake-up call. It’s very frustrating for us as players getting that sort of message at this time of the season, but in saying that, we got a good kick up the bum and performed well tonight.”

With away victories over the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika and a home success against the Waratahs, the defending champions, with a 4-7 record, can still make the top six.

Meanwhile, The Force have lost 23 of their last 24 Super Rugby Pacific games in New Zealand, including their last ten in a row, conceding 40+ points in each of their last four games. The Force last beat the Blues in 2008 as their playoff prospects flounder.

Du’Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes)

The second half of the Hurricanes 35-17 victory over the Chiefs was about as close to perfect as one could desire. A 26-0 whitewash saw replacement winger and Chiefs discard Bailyn Sullivan score all four tries. He is just the third Hurricane after Ben Lam and Ngani Laumape to accomplish that feat. Furthermore, he is the first player in Super Rugby Pacific to score four tries off the bench.

As noteworthy as the Sullivan quartet is, the heartbeat of the Hurricanes is Du’Plessis Kirifi. A 79th minute interference that resulted in a Chiefs fumble induced a Goku Ultra Instinct Roar from Kirifi that epitomises his absolutely relentless heart. There’s no real need for such intensity when the result is settled, but that’s Kirifi.

19 tackles and two turnovers were the substance of a display that reinforced his genuine All Blacks prospects. The Chiefs were unusually brutalised at the breakdown. Their typically versatile and clinical back row folded.

Ruben Love finished with 15 points after six goals from seven attempts. His assured display at 10 was his best of the season. Meanwhile, between August 20, 2023, and February 22, 2025, Bailyn Sullivan only scored one try in 26 first-class matches.

Until Saturday, Caleb Delany was the only New Zealand-based forward to start every Super Rugby match (11 matches, 743 minutes). He was listed to start against the Chiefs but was a late withdrawal. His replacement, Zach Gallagher, topped the tackle count with 22 and was adept at addressing restarts with a couple of soaring catches. While the Hurricanes lineout was occasionally wayward, the home forwards mauled strongly.

The Hurricanes lead the Chiefs 24-21 in all matches played, with Saturday’s win their largest since a 47-19 victory in 2019.

Etonia Waqa (Fijian Dura)

Dura Chief executive Mark Evans released a video this week pleading fans to stand with the team during their three upcoming home matches. The Dura have had a disappointing season with only three wins in 11 matches, but those who attended the 36-33 win over the Reds had their faith repaid. With a minute remaining, the Dura was down 29-33, until replacement winger Isikeli Rabitu scored the winner from a Reds fumble. There were seven lead changes in the match.

Earlier, explosive Etonia Waqa ran amok with a 40-metre break that resulted in a try. The blindside flanker then caught the Reds napping down the short side and dotted down himself. A huge physical and aerial presence, Waqa has won 12 of his 25 matches for the Dura – a success rate nearly twenty percent higher than the average of the team, which has won 31% of all matches in their Super Rugby Pacific history.

Tom Wright (Brumbies)

With the hype surrounding Joseph Suaalii, incumbent Wallabies fullback Tom Wright (37 Tests) played a timely blinder in the Brumbies 40-17 victory over Suaalii’s Waratahs.

Wright had a match-leading 18 carries for 115 meters gained and four line breaks. In the 49th minute, Wright was instrumental in the build-up to a Billy Pollard try, when the score was 26-12, which extinguished the Waratahs chances of winning. Wright had three touches and a strong sprint in the scoring movement.

Wright was cut by Eddie Jones for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He was sensational on the Wallabies Northern Tour last year, scoring a try in the epic 42-37 win over England and three in the 52-20 crushing of Wales. Wright has yet to open his try-scoring account in Super Rugby Pacific 2025.

Ardie Savea (Moana Pasifika)

The prospect of Moana Pasifika being in a playoff position after a dozen rounds at the start of the season seemed unthinkable.

But with Ardie Savea producing a series of masterpieces, the improbable is suddenly possible.

The Highlanders were the latest victims to fall under Savea’s spell as Moana Pasifika upset the Highlanders 34-29 in Dunedin.

The All Black scored a brilliant individual try in the 45th minute, nudging the ball through the defensive line and beating the chasers to regather and crash over. That made the score 22-15 to Moana Pasifika.

Savea carried 19 times and made three line breaks while creating additional attacks with effective linking. Savea was similarly damaging on defence with seven tackles and two ruck steals.

The Highlanders had won all five previous meetings against Moana Pasifika.