Ardie Savea signs with Blues on one-year deal after Moana Pasifika collapse

Ardie Savea will play his Super Rugby Pacific rugby under former Hurricanes coach Jason Holland at the Blues next season, the All Blacks captain confirmed on Friday via a livestream on his YouTube channel. The 2023 World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year signed a one-year deal with the Auckland franchise after Moana Pasifika’s collapse ended his stint on the North Shore.

Savea, who was born and raised in Wellington, admitted the move was not something he had anticipated. “If you were telling me 10 years ago I’d be playing for the Blues, I’d laugh at you,” he said. “But there’s something beautiful about being in an unexpected place. It allows you to grow, allows you to learn, and stay fresh.”

Despite multiple offers, Savea said his personal connections to the club were decisive. “The Blues have always been in my heart,” he explained. “I’ve had really good mates that played there — Rieko Ioane, Mamba (Mark Tele’a) — and I always thought how awesome it would be to play.”

The signing arrives at a pivotal moment for the Blues, who lost former captain Dalton Papali’i and fellow All Black Hoskins Sotutu after the most recent season. Holland, who replaces Vern Cotter as head coach, is expected to bring a more attack-minded philosophy to the team — a style that suits Savea’s explosive loose-forward game.

Ioane, meanwhile, returns to Auckland after a season with Leinster that appeared to reinvigorate his attacking instincts, giving Holland a back line with considerable firepower to complement Savea’s arrival.

Savea framed the move in broader terms than rugby alone, describing his motivation as “purpose over circumstance” and speaking about wanting to unite the city through the team’s style of play. “Being able to go to the ‘09, a city that I’ve lived in before, and to actually just bring the people together and play a style of game that we want to unite our city,” he said.

The deal runs to the end of Savea’s current New Zealand Rugby contract, leaving his longer-term future open beyond the coming Super Rugby season.