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Ardie Savea factor in full effect at Moana Pasifika
By AAP
The arrival of superstar backrower Ardie Savea has bolstered the belief at Moana Pasifika ,with his big brother Julian declaring their team can win the Super Rugby Pacific title this season.
Led by new captain Ardie, Moana face Western Force in round one in Perth on Saturday night, looking to make an early statement.
Julian, 34, said Ardie, who wanted to give back to his Samoan heritage by joining the club after 12 seasons with the Hurricanes, had already made an impact.
The recruitment of the 31-year-old, who is a regular in the New Zealand Test side and was named the world's best player in 2023, had lifted standards across the franchise.
Joining the competition in 2022, Auckland-based Moana Pasifika finished 11th last year, but former All Blacks winger Julian predicted a huge ladder surge this season.
"He's had a massive impact already, just his presence, he brings leadership, his experience, and professional habits - winning habits that he's experienced throughout his career," said Julian.
"The belief is high ... we're definitely winning this thing, because we've done the tough, tough work to be able to play how we want to play the game, and how fit we need to be to be able to play that game plan."
Coached by legendary former All Blacks centre Tana Umaga, Moana Pasifika have had a big influx of talent with former Wallabies prop Pone Fa'amausili among the recruits.
But the Melbourne Rebels signing isn't available for selection to face the Force due to injury.
Julian, who was part of New Zealand's 2015 Rugby World Cup triumph and the tournament's highest tryscorer, also wasn't named despite featuring in their two trials.
Competition is fierce in the backline with newcomers Samoa Olympic Sevens star Lalomilo Lalomilo named in the centres and former NRL Wests Tigers flyer Solomon Alaimalo starting on the wing.
Other signings include hooker Millennium Sanerivi, who played his first Super Rugby match for the Chiefs in last year's final before switching to Moana Pasifika.
Ardie will start at No.8 and will have Tonga openside Sione Havili Talitui and Samoa's Miracle Faiilagi alongside him in a strong loose forward trio.
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Latest Comments
I’ve seen an improvement in both.
Go to commentsFrance using the 7-1, England using the 6-2, Ireland and Scotland have used it a few times as well and many nations are starting to adopt it. The reality is the game is changing. Administrators have made it faster and that is leading to more significant drop offs in the forwards. You have 2 options. Load your bench with forwards or alter your player conditioning which might mean more intense conditioning for forwards and a drop off in bulk. The game can still be played many ways. Every nation needs to adapt in their own way to suit their strengths. France have followed the Springbok model of tight forwards being preferred because it suits them. They have huge hunks of meat and the bench is as good as the starters so why not go for it? The Springboks have also used hybrids like Kwagga Smith, Schalk Britz, Deon Fourie, Franco Mostert and others. England are following that model instead and by putting 3 loosies there who can do damage in defence and make the breakdown a mess in the final quarter. It worked well against Wales but will be interested to see how it goes going forward against better opposition who can threaten their lineout and scrum. All the talk around bench limitations to stop the 7-1 and 6-2 for me is nonsense. Coaches who refuse to innovate want to keep the game the same and make it uniform and sameness is bad for fans. The bench composition adds jeopardy and is a huge debate point for fans who love it. Bench innovations have not made the game worse, they have made it better and more watchable. They challenge coaches and teams and that’s what fans want. What we need now is more coaches to innovate. There is still space for the 5-3 or even a 4-4 if a coach is willing to take it on and play expansive high tempo possession-based rugby with forwards who are lean and mean and backs who are good over the ball. The laws favour that style more than ever before. Ireland are too old to do it now. Every team needs to innovate to best suit their style and players so I hope coaches and pundits stop moaning about forwards and benches and start to find different ways to win.
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