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Super Rugby Pacific

‘Pretty pissed off’: Julian Savea reveals frustration following Hurricanes exit

By Finn Morton

315 days ago

(Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

After a decorated 153-game Super Rugby career with the Hurricanes, former All Blacks wing Julian Savea will don a new club’s colours in 2024 after signing for Moana Pasifika.

While the Rugby World Cup winner is “looking forward to the challenge” with the Tana Umaga-coached side, Savea has opened up about the disappointment in his Hurricanes exit.

The man affectionately known around the rugby world as the ‘Bus’ was off contract with the franchise at the end of last season and the Canes decided not to re-sign the veteran.

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Savea was officially revealed as a Moana Pasifika player in September, with the 33-year-old tweeting that he was “grateful” for the opportunity.

But, as Savea suggested in an interview with Newshub’s Ollie Ritchie, there appears to be more to this story.

“I was pretty pissed off, to be honest, but that’s rugby and they’ve got a job to do,” Savea said.

“Just the process… they didn’t let me know until later on and that’s the biggest thing.”

Moana Pasifika will travel to Wellington to face the Hurricanes in Round 13 which could potentially see Savea take the field with a bit of a point to prove.

It’s a game that Savea is already looking forward to.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge and I guess I’ve got that game marked on my calendar as well,” Savea added.

But with 54 Tests to his name and a glistening 60-try Super Rugby career as well, there’s no denying that Savea will go down in history as one of the Hurricanes’ greats.

“Savea’s pace, strength and ability to finish out wide will be a tremendous asset for Moana Pasifika on the field, but his impact off the field will also prove beneficial,” Moana Pasifika said in a statement in September.

“With one of the most recognisable names in rugby, his injection into the Moana Pasifika community space will be inspirational to Pasifika rugby hopefuls in New Zealand and across the Pacific.”

Comments

1 Comment

Pecos 313 days ago

Forever ingrained - RWC2015 the Bus versus Les Bleus.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

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Comments on RugbyPass

Flankly 5 minutes ago

'England's blanket of despair feels overdone - they are not a team in freefall'

Yes. Big games are often won by the teams that can execute when it counts. Australia's last try against England is a case in point. Both teams needed to raise their games, in the last possession of the match and with the win on the line. Australia found a way to score and England did not find a way to stop it. Its easy to dismiss it as luck or to blame an individual player, and sometimes that's fair. But great teams raise their games in those circumstances, and significantly increase their success rates when it matters.

15 Go to comments

SK 8 minutes ago

Five changes for the All Blacks, including the return of Sam Cane

Well if they decided to go with a rotated team Italy may have had an outside chance. Now they are just gonna try to avoid a hiding

2 Go to comments

Flankly 14 minutes ago

'England's blanket of despair feels overdone - they are not a team in freefall'

Agree that progress has been slower than expected, but part of it is that both Razor and Schmidt have improved their teams very rapidly. The high expectation of England winning against one or both of those teams this Nov was partly about them being in rebuild phases. But, despite them having less than a year to effect their respective turnarounds (vs Borthwick having 2 years), both coaches are already delivering results. Borthwick is getting there, but it is taking forever.

15 Go to comments

Cantab 19 minutes ago

Five changes for the All Blacks, including the return of Sam Cane

This is not an under strength selection and should be far too strong for the 6th ranked ( Northern) Italians

2 Go to comments

Bull Shark 20 minutes ago

Johan Ackermann returns to SA in new coaching role

Fabulous News. He can swan about here for a while until the England job opens up.

1 Go to comments

Bull Shark 26 minutes ago

'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

You're outta here!

289 Go to comments

Bull Shark 26 minutes ago

'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Yellow for you. Timeout.

Low risk of danger, so there won't be a bunker review.

289 Go to comments

Bull Shark 31 minutes ago

Sadness pervades as Gatland stands on the brink of Welsh exit

LOL. Tinfoil meet head.

17 Go to comments

Bull Shark 40 minutes ago

Sadness pervades as Gatland stands on the brink of Welsh exit

Not true. I'm a South African and I absolutely loved seeing the Wallabies beating England. And miss the Wallabies of old who were a devastating force with some of the greatest players of all time.

I hear quite regularly that Australians prefer Aussie rules, league, and cricket over rugby.

So again, seems like Australians are to blame for the state of the game in Australia?

17 Go to comments

Bull Shark 48 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

I find Ben Smith to be an emotionally driven hysteric. So I question everything he writes.

He launched into the year about the ABs being back this year. For a "journalist" his opinions are based on the flavour of the month.

He's at least gone quiet about how sh1t the boks actually are. Although I suspect he's working on an outrageous article to that effect as we speak, to drive engagement after the end of the Autumn series, as we'll all be taking a break until the 6N. Reading his drivel in between extended periods of alcohol and mince pie consumption, and low grade depression related to the lack of international rugby. Leading to more alcohol and mince pies.

22 Go to comments

Chesterfield 50 minutes ago

Michael Hooper reacts to Scott Barrett’s controversial late-game call

The dominant pack should be enforcing their superiority with maximum points and the psychological advantage of taking the lead.

You don’t get that by saying we’ll settle for three and try again you get it by scoring seven and trying again. Doesn’t come off every time?

No.

But if you’ve asserted dominance letting the opposition off and not trying to build a double score difference is wrong minded.

All blacks have traditionally played to build the unassailable lead not meekly win a single point victory.

11 Go to comments

Arnold 53 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

Aaah. Ben Smith. Ever the unbiased, objective rugby scribe......NOT.

Unable to give credit where it's due, other than for the ABs, especially when it comes to the Boks. His contempt for them is tangible. If you want to " Get Real" about these ABs Ben, consider when they last beat the Boks??? For us Bok fans, beating the ABs is the only true measure.

22 Go to comments

Reader76 1 hour ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

"they [All Blacks] are nuggety and resourceful and don’t wilt. They are prepared to win the hard way, accumulating points by any means necessary."

Sounds like you're describing your arch-nemesis Ben 😁

22 Go to comments

CM 1 hour ago

'Steve Borthwick hung his troops out to dry - he should take some blame'

This article only shows a part of SBs failings as England Coach. Firstly his reputation st Leicester was false, his SA and Welsh players won the matches not his coaching prowess. He has Wigglesworth as attack coach, someone who rarely attacked when playing. His player selection is awful, ignoring form players and sticking with failed internationals. He picks players that he knows and will be easy to manage for him. What on earth is Slade doing when even for Exeter he does not make line breaks with steppping, pace or guile, why on earth are Cole,George,Steward,Ford,Iseweke and a few other anywhere near the Team. Borthwick is awful as Head Coach of England.

1 Go to comments

Mzilikazi 1 hour ago

Key Wallabies trio running hot a year after being left in cold

Good to be writing about a WB team that has beaten two 6 N sides in successive weeks, Brett.

Lolesio indeed is looking very comfortable under Schmidt coaching. He must feel as confident now as he was feeling in his spell at Toulon last year. It will be interesting to see how he does against Finn Russell.

30 Go to comments

J Marc 1 hour ago

'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Your unterstanding of the relation FFR LNR, is far better than the one in the article. For Meafou, there is an article on Skelton saying he is totally indispensable in the australian game.

In France they are often compared, and french game is often, but not always ,based on this kind of number 5. But , there are a lot of kind of play in France and in the world, and it's a blessing, because otherwise, the game would be boring.

On my other post ,which you replied, my intention was to explain with some historics facts the main importance, in France, of the championship.

But ,once again, I would prefer 3 games in NZ , with the better french players.

289 Go to comments

Ninjin 1 hour ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

I said before the November tests that the AB's should go smash some Nh teams to find their feet and it seems that is just what they did bar France. Could have should have always sucks. Better to look to the future.

22 Go to comments