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'Of course, I'd consider it, 100%' - Ardie Savea's heart drawn to idea of being involved with Pacific team

By Online Editors

Reports of a revamped Super Rugby competition including a Pacific Island franchise has received the endorsement of one major All Black, with loose forward Ardie Savea saying that ‘it will be amazing to see’.

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The Hurricanes star said that he feels like the game hasn’t done enough for the Pacific islands, despite a high percentage of the professional players around the globe holding Pasifika heritage.

“That’s something that gets my heart pumping, because I feel like we haven’t done enough for the Pacific islands,” Savea told media at Hurricanes training this afternoon.

“To hear that we are considering putting a Pacific island team in this competition is amazing.

“I think it is great to give back to the islands and the people that have given so much to this sport.

“Hopefully that gets through, or something happens, it will be amazing to see.

“The idea of having another Super Rugby team, man, come on, let’s go. It gets me up because you see so many teams across the world, All Blacks, it’s Pasifika dominated.

Savea has seen the reports of former All Blacks involved in the ownership of the proposed MLR expansion franchise in Hawaii and expressed a desire to be a part of it one day.

“I see ex-All Blacks involved in that, and it’s something I’d love to be a part of in the future and get an understanding of how that works.

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When asked if he wanted to be a part of it, he affirmed he certainly wouldn’t rule it out.

“Of course, I’d consider it, 100%.”

In the here and now, Savea prepares to face the Crusaders this weekend after returning from injury to help lift the Hurricanes to three straight wins.

In each of the games, the 26-year-old has registered 80-minutes and played at Number 8 to accomodate the in-form Du’Plessis Kirifi.

“The old Ardie would have told coach to pull me off or give me a certain amount of minutes. I don’t know what it is, I’m just enjoying playing 80 minutes,” he said.

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“Whatever coach wants, if it’s 80 minutes then 80 minutes. If it’s for 5, 10 weeks in a row, I’ll do it.

Savea said he has had no discussions with Ian Foster or the All Blacks selectors around his future with the side yet, saying that he is just happy to be back on the field.

“I’m just getting used to playing at 8 now so I’m enjoying it. To be honest, 7, 6, 8, I’m just happy to be on the field starting, even if they put me at 12.

Despite being a different role, the workload on the body ends up being similar.

“When you play 7 you are tackling a lot more, at 8 it’s more carrying. When you are running into guys like Patty Tups and that, it is quite challenging.

“I’d say the amount of contact you do is the same, it’s just a different kind of contact.”

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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