Ardie Savea's Moana move solves one problem and opens another

I want to be enthusiastic about Ardie Savea’s move to Moana Pasifika.

Savea has always been his own man, so I wouldn’t get too caught up in the fact that his brother Julian is already on Moana Pasifika’s roster.

It wouldn’t have hurt negotiations, but I sincerely doubt it would have been a deciding factor.

This is about being a Samoan New Zealander and Savea honouring his nation of heritage.

There’s perhaps an element of dissatisfaction or disgruntlement with the Hurricanes but, to me, this is more about Savea asserting who he is as a man.

I always go back to a comment Silver Ferns netball coach Waimarama Taumaunu made to me, when Savea was first selected for the All Blacks.

Her son had played school and club rugby with Savea at Rongotai College and Oriental Rongotai.
Taumaunu talked glowingly of Savea’s qualities as a person and a leader, but not just in the rugby sense.

She felt he was a man of great character and that his values and influence would eventually extend far into the community as well.

I see some of that in his trailblazing decision to join Moana Pasifika.

This isn’t a team that’s meant to be a vehicle for All Blacks, but it is now.

Savea is the first, but he won’t be the last.

We overlook Samoan, Tongan and Fijian All Blacks a bit.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR), to its credit, has moved to embrace Maori culture to the extent that even Scott Robertson stammered out a greeting in that language in introducing his first team as new All Blacks coach.

As far as I’m aware, NZR staff sing waiata at work and have adopted various cultural practices to recognise Maori.

But that’s not Savea’s culture nor that of many other All Blacks. Playing for Moana Pasifika enables him to embrace and connect with who he is and where he’s from.

I don’t think Savea’s alone in suggesting his heart lies with his nation of heritage, but that it makes commercial sense to represent New Zealand.

That’s where I have a slight problem with this situation.

Securing Savea’s signature is a boost that Moana Pasifika badly needed, only he’s got a sabbatical clause in his NZR contract for 2026.

Sure, it will be nice to see him play for Moana Pasifika next year – albeit on All Blacks-managed minutes – but then he’s back off to Japan for a season.

So he’s going to give them one year, skip the second, then start from scratch in the third and, presumably, final one.

That’s an unfortunate situation that threatens to minimise his potential impact.

And what of NZR in all this?

Super Rugby Pacific needs marquee All Blacks and here’s another one who’s only going to be involved on a part-time basis over the next three years.

I’ve often said open the floodgates, pick guys from wherever. But, honestly, why have eligibility rules if you’re going to select players from Moana Pasifika/Japan?

I admire Savea in many ways and encourage him to do whatever he thinks is right for him and his family. If there are contractual loopholes that can be exploited, then good luck to him.

But, from this distance, it appears to be another instance where NZR isn’t calling the shots and that accommodating an individual player is more important than the overall health of the game.

In general, though, I’m enthused. Savea can’t win games for Moana Pasifika on his own but the mere act of signing with them immediately adds a lustre to the organisation.

It also shows that we could be doing more within teams and organisations to recognise the multicultural makeup of the playing group.