All Blacks legend: Ardie Savea signing to have ‘tsunami effect’ for Moana Pasifika
All Blacks star Ardie Savea and former back-row Michael Jones, who is also Moana Pasifika's chairman.
Legendary All Black and Moana Pasifika chairman Sir Michael Jones has described the recruitment of Ardie Savea as a “game changer” that will boost the emerging Super Rugby Pacific outfit.
Savea, who is World Rugby’s current Player of the Year, signed a three-year deal with Moana Pasifika through until 2027 and is a high-profile player who has already made 84 Test appearances for the All Blacks.
The back-row is also the current All Blacks vice-captain and has already captained his country at international level.
Reunited with his brother
By joining Moana Pasifika from the Hurricanes, the 30-year-old will be reunited with his brother, former All Blacks wing Julian Savea, who also joined Moana from the Wellington-based outfit late last year.
And Jones believes signing a high-profile player like the younger Savea will be a shot in the arm for Moana, who have been struggling at Super Rugby Pacific level since joining the competition in 2022.
“We’ve always been pursuing signing a marquee player from the day we were established four years ago,” he told Stuff. “The likes of Christian Leali’ifano, Sekope [Kepu] and of course Julian [Savea] last year was big, but this is absolutely next level.
“It’s a game-changer for us.
“So, it’s been a work in progress but the stars have aligned for us and there’s no doubt the influence of his big brother having Julian part of our family, and there’s no doubt Tana Umaga as a hero of his has also really been a big part of the attraction.”
Moana are based in Auckland and are allowed to have three New Zealand Rugby contracted players on their books but they have battled to lure big names to their club.
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However, Jones believes the recruitment of Savea will bolster Moana and accelerate the club’s development.
“We refer to the fact that our wave is rising and the tide has turned, but it’s really going to have a tsunami effect to be fair,” he said.
“One of our Tongan board members referred to it as the Jason Taumalolo (rugby league star) moment for Moana Pasifika, which is really true and that’s very profound.
“[Savea’s] influence on the game and how much he’s loved and adored by our people in our community, it’s very uplifting.”
Jones also believes Savea’s move could increase Moana’s commercial revenue.
‘His brand is huge’
“It’s massive,” he said. “We can’t underestimate how big this is. His brand is huge.
“We’re a fledging, new brand and we’re starting to build our brand positioning out there.
“But it fast-tracks that, the fact that he’s part of our family now.
“So it is going to be a major lift for bums on seats, it is going to be a major lift for our partners and commercial sponsors.”
READ MORE: All Blacks legend questions Ardie Savea’s decision to join Moana Pasifika
