Legendary All Black Sir John Kirwan says he is “not convinced” Ardie Savea’s decision to continue his Super Rugby Pacific career at Moana Pasifika from next year is the right one.

Star right-back Savea, who played 84 Test matches for New Zealand, has signed a three-year contract with Moana until 2027 and will be reunited with his brother Julian, the former All Blacks winger, at the Auckland-based club.

Moana Pasifika have been in Super Rugby since 2022 and finished last in the rankings in the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific season and in 2023, before moving up slightly in 2024 to finish 11th in the table.

I’m worried about Moana’s poor form

Kirwan believes Moana being a struggling club could be detrimental to Savea and the All Blacks.

“I’m not convinced,” Kirwan said Fault“I could be wrong but for me the idea of ​​Moana Pasifika was to grow Pasifika rugby. Don’t get me wrong, I want Moana Pasifika to be great. But is it good for them to be second bottom for another season with Ardie Savea?

“Is it going to help us as the All Blacks if Ardie does something extra or pushes us?

“There will be more workload.”

Kirwan, who played 63 Test matches for New Zealand as a winger between 1984 and 1994, said his comments were based on personal experiences when he was transferred to Italy’s second-division club Treviso during his playing career.

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“I remember one of the worst seasons of my life. I went to the second division in Italy and played terribly because I was too worried about doing too much work,” he explained.

But former All Blacks player Justin Marshall disagreed with Kirwan’s view, saying he believed Savea’s move would benefit Moana as well as his former Super Rugby club the Hurricanes.

Savea has not been able to play at Super Rugby Pacific level this year and has decided to take a sabbatical in Japan to play club rugby for the Kobelco Kobe Steelers.

Hurricanes flashed without Savea

Despite being without Savea’s services, the Hurricanes topped the Super Rugby Pacific table before bowing out of the tournament in the semi-finals.

“This year the Hurricanes have performed very well without Ardie Savea and were very close to making it to the final,” Marshall said.

“There is no doubt that this move will be a huge advantage for Moana Pasifika because of the numbers that a world-class player like Ardie Savea will bring. It is a good decision.

“To be fair, it might give him some relief. He’s been with the same franchise for so long and there’s nothing like getting something a little bit different every day you go into training.”

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