Justin Marshall implores All Blacks coaches to move Ardie Savea

Ardie Savea’s performance in Moana Pasifika’s win over the Blues is being hailed as one of, if not the best, in Super Rugby history. For former All Black Justin Marshall, that comes with validation for a point he’s stressed over recent years.

Savea won the 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year award whilst playing at No. 8, and while Scott Robertson inherited the All Blacks and understandably took a ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’  approach to Savea’s selection, Marshall was on record pushing for a positional shift.

Savea is best utilised on the openside flank in the former halfback’s opinion, and that is the position the 31-year-old has played at club level over the past two seasons, while maintaining his No. 8 selection at the international level.

Moana Pasifika’s star recruit donned the black seven jersey once in 2024, but his time in the position lasted just a few minutes as injury forced a reshuffle and saw him return to No. 8 under the bright lights of Stade de France.

But with influential performances this Super Rugby Pacific season coming on the side of the scrum as opposed to the back, while explosive rookie Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa chews through a competition-leading workload wth the ball in hand at No. 8, Savea’s prospects in the jersey vacated by Sam Cane appear strong.

“I don’t want to be a smart-arse, but I can’t help myself. I’ve been saying for three years now that Ardie Savea is an openside flanker,” Marshall told SportNation radio.

“Nobody seemed to want to listen. Particularly All Blacks coaches. The more I see him on the side of the scrum, and the way that the rest of the loose forward trio balances out, and the player that he is in that jersey, the more it is glaringly obvious to me that Scott Robertson needs to pick him in that shirt.

“He’s a unique player is Ardie Savea. But what he does do really well is he does have the ability to slightly change the picture in the way he’s playing. But his natural instinct is to gravitate to the ball, because that’s where he’s strong.

“Either offensively or defensively, that is where he’s at his most destructive. Openside flankers gravitate to the ball, they want to be first, second arriving player the majority of the time. If Ardie’s going to that zone, he’s picking and going and carrying with his leg drive and pump, that’s where he’s devastating. He’s hard to get to ground.

“If he’s there as a defender, how good is he over the ball? And how hard is he to move? We saw that last night. For the majority of the game, that’s where he’s at, which suits the jersey number.

“Then he has the ability, when he sees others, going to that zone, getting over the ball, or cleaning the ruck, and he’s outside of that pattern, then he’s got that ability to play second, third receiver and do things that he’s been doing for Moana Pasifika, like chiping through the line and gathering that.

“His ability to be able to do that and balance his game out is perfectly suited to that shirt.”

With newfound All Blacks star Wallace Sititi locked in and likely to be joining Savea in the starting All Blacks unit as another form loose forward, there is a clear candidate to step into the No. 8 jersey.

But while Marshall’s view of the position is clear-cut, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had a more fluid view of the position when asked on The Breakdown whether there’s a big difference between seven and eight in the modern game.

“Not really. It doesn’t matter who you’re looking at; when you’re making your back three and putting them together, you’re just trying to get some balance, and because Ardie is so dynamic off the back of the scrum, that’s great. He’s also so destructive as a defender when he’s coming off at seven,” the former All Blacks attack coach responded.

“And people probably underestimate how good he is in the lineout. He’s actually so quick, so explosive, he’s a very good lineout option. There’s not a heck of a lot he can’t do.”