Ardie Savea after New Zealand's Rugby World Cup final loss to South Africa in Paris. Photo: Photosport
Analysis - About the best news that Moana Pasifika could have possibly received finally went public on Sunday night. The announcement that Ardie Savea was moving north (at least probably north, because Moana don't have an official home ground at the time of writing) is arguably the biggest transfer in Super Rugby history - but that's going to be cold comfort to Hurricanes fans, who are watching another foundational player leave at the peak of his powers.
While the rumours have been swirling for a while, the idea of Savea going to Moana has been around ever since the expansion team was first conceived. They already signalled their intentions by signing his older brother and former All Black Julian, but really this now shifts the team into main headline territory because the addition of Ardie means a potentially big off-season coming up in terms of acquiring a team around him.
Ardie Savea speaks to media at the All Blacks season launch. Photo: Elias Rodriguez / www.photosport.nz
Savea is as close as they can get to a perfect signing. He is the All Black vice-captain, plays in a position that will get his hands on the ball as much as possible and, most importantly, is someone Moana can finally build a team around.
Up until now they've had to rely on everyone else's off-cuts. Now, the thought of playing alongside the current World Rugby Player of the Year is something coach Tana Umaga can dangle in front of potential recruits.
They'll now be finally a part of a news cycle that's been extremely difficult to crack, save for stories about just how precarious their future is.
Now they have a future. Savea's presence won't change them into title contenders overnight, but the expectation on them is suddenly a lot more than simply being patronisingly surprised at the odd win. How they handle it will be interesting, but this is what happens when rugby every now and then does actually act like a professional sport and has a transfer market conversation. Moves like this bring attention, money and scrutiny.
Then there's what Savea leaves behind him at the Hurricanes. It's tempting to think that his old team would be wishing him luck and getting back to work - after all, new coach Clark Laidlaw just took them to their best finish in almost a decade without him.
In particular, Laidlaw's loose forward group of Brayden Iose, Peter Lakai, Brad Shields, Devan Flanders and Du'Plessis Kirifi were not only effective, but the core strength of the team's success (it's also worth mentioning Moana's loosies are no slouches either, with Sione Havili-Talitui and incumbent number eight Lotu Inise picking up six team awards between them this year).
Tana Umaga, left, with Sione Havili-Talatui. Photo: Moana Pasifika
But the reality is the Canes will be privately fuming at this turn of events. Savea was allowed a break clause in his contract with NZ Rugby to go and make some money in Japan, but his now former Super Rugby team never would have planned on him not coming back.
He's worth plenty of bums on seats by simply getting listed in the starting lineup, not to mention the fact that he's a genuine homegrown talent that one day the Canes would've been hoping to give a proper send-off at some point. Now, his last act as a Hurricane may well be last year's controversial quarterfinal loss to the Brumbies.
The toughest pill to swallow is that this isn't the first time the Canes have seen a marquee player leave to another New Zealand team, after Beauden Barrett's bombshell bounce to the Blues in 2020.
Barrett's first appearance for the Blues was against the Canes at a sold out, post-lockdown Eden Park - the sort of attendance beyond Moana's wildest dreams right now, but they can probably start aiming for a sudden increase in ticket sales for their next home match against Savea's old team. After all, that was the first ever win Moana had, so it's the closest thing they have to a rivalry anyway.
So far, the reception from Wellington has been gracious acceptance - that Savea's move is probably for the greater good of the competition, that the Canes have proven they can live without him anyway, and that we're just lucky that he hasn't cashed up fully and moved to Japan for good (which is about right from a region known far more for trying very hard and blowing it rather than actually winning).
But really, the focus is now squarely on Moana and how they can turn this golden goose into the sort of money spinner and profile booster Savea has the potential to be for them.
