Savea reveals only the Blues pursued him after Moana Pasifika's collapse

All Blacks captain Ardie Savea has revealed that just one Super Rugby club came for his signature when Moana Pasifika’s financial collapse left him without a team mid-season — and it was the Blues, not the Hurricanes or any of the other three New Zealand franchises.

“I don’t know if I wanted to share this, but only the Blues came to the table,” the 32-year-old said on THE MORNING SHIFT Podcast. “So I’m just grateful. Very, very grateful.”

The admission is a striking one. As the 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year and a born-and-bred Wellingtonian whose former club the Hurricanes had just claimed the most dominant final victory in Super Rugby history, Savea appeared to be one of the most coveted free agents the competition had ever produced. A YouTube live stream in which he tried on all five New Zealand franchise jerseys before his announcement had fuelled speculation that a bidding war was under way. In reality, there was only ever one bidder.

Savea credited Blues CEO Karl Budge and head coach Jason Holland — whom he referred to as “Budgie” and “Alfie” respectively — for moving quickly once Moana Pasifika’s situation became clear. “They showed love from the get-go,” he said. “As soon as the news on Moana, they’ve been showing love, and been the only ones.”

The flanker described his one-year Blues contract as “the last dance” — a nod to the 2020 Michael Jordan documentary — signalling that he views the move as the final chapter of his Super Rugby career in New Zealand. He expressed excitement at linking up again with centre Rieko Ioane, calling him “the Joker”, and spoke of wanting to help the Blues “do something special”.

Despite the circumstances of his departure, Savea was emphatic that his single season with Moana Pasifika stands as the highlight of his career to date. “If someone was to ask me what the highlight of my career is so far, it would be Moana. 100 per cent,” he said. “We always started with god, and we finished with him, and I’ve never been part of a team that actually put him at the forefront of everything — our culture, our heritage, understanding just being authentically yourself; Pacific. That was awesome.”

Moana Pasifika’s financial difficulties ended their 2025 Super Rugby season prematurely, cutting short what had been a landmark campaign in which the side came agonisingly close to reaching the playoffs for the first time.

Savea is currently recovering from a shoulder injury and expects to be available from the start of the new Super Rugby season.