Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw believes All Blacks back-row star Ardie Savea’s decision to leave his team to join Moana Pasifika was a blessing in disguise for his side.
Laidlaw made his stunning claim after the Hurricanes notched a convincing 64-12 victory over Moana in their Super Rugby Pacific encounter at Sky Stadium on Saturday.
Moana needed to secure a bonus-point victory to advance to the tournament’s play-offs and the result means Savea was denied a fairytale finish in his first game back in Wellington.
Stunning move
The 31-year-old’s decision to swap the Hurricanes for Moana sent shockwaves throughout the game when it was announced last year.
Savea last played for the Hurricanes in 2023 as he opted to take a sabbatical at Japanese club Kobelco Kobe Steelers in 2024, and his move to Moana has transformed his new team.
Prior to joining Moana, the Tana Umaga-coached side finished with Super Rugby Pacific‘s wooden spoon in 2022 and 2023 before improving slightly last year when they ended the season in 11th position in the 12-team competition.
However, Savea, who is Moana’s captain, has showed his class with several outstanding performances in 2025, and his superb form helped the team to finish their 2025 campaign with six victories – the most they’ve ever won in a single season – and a respectable seventh spot in the standings.
Laidlaw did not get the opportunity to coach Savea – due to his sabbatical in Japan – but he feels the move worked out well for all parties involved as both the Hurricanes and Moana have benefited from the decision.
Apart from Moana’s improvement, the Hurricanes have remained amongst the top sides in Super Rugby Pacific as they qualified for the play-offs in 2024 and 2025, while talented back-row players like Du’Plessis Kirifi, Peter Lakai, Brayden Iose and Devan Flanders have done admirably in filling the huge void left by Savea’s absence.
“Ardie did play for the Hurricanes for 10 years. Julian – 10 years. They played close to 300 games between them. They’re Hurricanes legends. Yeah, they’re playing for Moana now, but we’re really proud of Ardie and the way he’s played,” Laidlaw told Stuff.
“Maybe it was the right thing for everybody, Ardie going up to Moana. They’ve been successful, he’s played probably his best Super Rugby season in a long time and we’ve got Du’Plessis Kirifi, Brayden Iose, Devan Flanders and so on, and we might have had to lose a couple of those players.
‘Everything happens for a reason’
“Maybe it’s just a win all around. We get 20,000 here and make some money off the gate. Everything happens for a reason.”
Kirifi’s progress has been exceptional this season as he has shown growth as a player and as a leader.
He has been one of the leading openside flankers in Super Rugby Pacific this season, and Laidlaw praised his maturity, which he feels has come on in leaps and bounds since being appointed as one of the Hurricanes’ co-captains.
“I was a little bit fired up before the game. A couple of things happened and Dupes told me to take a deep breath and gave me a wee hug and that’s the maturity he’s shown,” said Laidlaw, who coached the New Zealand sevens team between 2017 and 2013.
“He’s got the ability now to think about other people as well as concentrate on his own game. Maybe before, it was one or the other.
“He’s really matured into being able to lead, think about other people as well as play the way he did. He’s a warrior around the breakdown and I think he’s underestimated around his ball carrying too. He’s going good.”
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