Do we like Ardie Savea?
Our score: 8 out of 10. Decent and on the right side of every issue we could find, with one on-field stain and a messy coaching saga that has never been pinned on him.
Ardie Savea is a Wellington boy with Samoan roots whose brother Julian also wore the black jersey. He captained the All Blacks at the 2023 World Cup and in their 100th Test in 2021, and he has long been one of the best loose forwards going around. In 2024 he made a call that surprised a lot of people: he joined Moana Pasifika to be closer to his Pasifika side.
That move tells you a lot. He said he can't play for Samoa because of his NZ Rugby contract, so “I feel like Moana is my Samoa so I'm going to give it everything.” He also said it was “time to give back and be around the brothers”, and that he made the decision with faith and advice from people close to him. A footballer picking meaning over a bigger pay cheque is worth noting.
The harm check comes up clean. When Campbell Johnstone became the first All Black to come out as gay in 2023, Savea called it courageous and said “My belief is that you love everybody regardless of who you are.” Back in 2018 he posted a photo of himself and three Hurricanes teammates with rainbow laces after a match. We found nothing from him on trans people's rights, climate or vaccines either way, so that part of the record is honestly thin.
The stain is on the field. In March 2023, while captain of the Hurricanes, Savea was shown a yellow card in a brawl against the Melbourne Rebels and made a cut-throat gesture at an opposing player as he walked off. He apologised publicly, calling it “out of character” and saying “I've got to be better.” A SANZAAR committee found it didn't reach a red card, gave a warning, and the warning plus the yellow card meant a one-week ban he accepted.
The messier story is February 2026. After NZ Rugby sacked All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, rumours circulated of a Savea-led revolt, and he copped a heap of public backlash. Players and NZ Rugby rejected the rumours, and no revolt was confirmed. Teammate Codie Taylor said the narrative put on him was “totally unfair”, and Wallace Sititi said everyone knows who Ardie is as a person. We haven't seen Savea's own response, so it stays rumour.
The good stuff is mostly what he does around the game. The RNZ coverage of his captaincy has him describing the role as “about empowering everyone in the group to be the best that they can be”. Rennie says he cares deeply about the black jersey and is highly respected by his teammates. After the Ireland win he flew to Samoa with his family, a nice reminder of where he's from.