Watch: Ardie Savea burrows over for first try in Moana Pasifika colours

When Moana Pasifika needed a leader during their round two clash away to the Queensland Reds, captain Ardie Savea stood tallest. Savea is off and running in Super Rugby Pacific this season, having scored a try in Moana colours for the first time.

Savea was impressive for Moana last weekend, with the backrower leading the way with a game-high 19 carries and an elite number of tackles. While the Pasifika side fell to a heartbreaking loss to the Western Force, Savea’s debut was a clear positive.

To the delight of Moana and All Blacks supporters alike, the world-renowned loose forward has backed up that performance with another solid outing. The Reds were playing at more than a point per minute on Friday, but Savea helped bring a halt to the Queenslanders’ blitz.

Seru Uru scored Queensland’s first in just the second minute, while tries to Filipo Daugunu and Tim ‘Junkyard Dog’ Ryan extended their lead to 21-nil after just 12 minutes. Rain began to pour from the heavens but it didn’t seem to dampen the Reds’ spirit.

The Reds looked both confident and comfortable in attack, around the breakdown, at the set-piece and even in defence when called upon. As for Moana, they were left searching for answers after a one-sided start to the match.

Savea, who ended up finishing the first-half in the top five for carries and with the second-most tackles out of any visiting player with six, helped swing the match’s momentum in Moana’s favour midway through the opening period.

With Moana pestering the Reds’ try line with an attacking onslaught of their own, it was Savea who crashed over from a pick-and-drive in the 19^th minute. While the conversion was unsuccessful, it did seem to give the visitors a confidence boost at that stage.

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“This team knows how to put phases together, a change of direction there,” former Wallaby Justin Harrison said on Stan Sport. “Almost over, somehow not held up, over the try line, get the ball back.

“This man Ardie Savea, well having said that he sits back in the armchair and steers the ship, he also drives it as well. He’s the petrol in the engine sometimes and Ardie Savea knows how to inject himself and change the fate of the game.

“Is that the fate of the game in Ardie’s hands?”

Ryan Smith and Fraser McReight were shown yellow cards soon after as the Queenslanders struggled to regain control against their valiant opponents. But, Moana could only manage three more points via the boot of William Havili, going into the break down 21-8.

“We were still in the bus for the first 10, 15 minutes and then we’ve just woken up,” coach Tana Umaga said on broadcast early in the second half. “We’ll give them a bit of a lead and now we’re chasing it.

“We just didn’t execute and take our chances inside their 22.”

Matt Faessler scored the first try after the break, but just as it had been a bit of a theme across the opening 40 minutes, Moana wouldn’t go away. Havili threw a sublime cut-out pass to Solomon Alaimalo who raced 50 metres to the house along the left touchline.

Kyren Taumoefolau was next to score, with Moana making the most of an error from the Reds’ winger Ryan to finish off a long-range team try. At just 21 years of age, Taumoefolau continues to shine in Super Rugby after a standout display in the loss to the Force last time out.

Unfortunately for Moana, the rest of the match was practically all the Reds.

While Taumoefolau scored another with a breathtaking finish, the hosts ran away with a heavy 56-36 win, with Fraser McReight among the standouts.