Hurricanes head coach Clark Laidlaw believes All Blacks back-row star Ardie Savea\u2019s decision to leave his team to join Moana Pasifika was a blessing in disguise for his side.<\/b><\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Moana needed to secure a bonus-point victory to advance to the tournament\u2019s play-offs and the result means Savea<\/a> was denied a fairytale finish in his first game back in Wellington.<\/p>\n Stunning move<\/p>\n The 31-year-old\u2019s decision to swap the Hurricanes<\/a> for Moana<\/a> sent shockwaves throughout the game when it was announced last year.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Prior to joining Moana, the Tana Umaga-coached side finished with Super Rugby Pacific<\/a>\u2018s wooden spoon in 2022 and 2023 before improving slightly last year when they ended the season in 11th position in the 12-team competition.<\/p>\n However, Savea, who is Moana\u2019s 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 \u2013 the most they\u2019ve ever won in a single season \u2013 and a respectable seventh spot in the standings.<\/p>\n Laidlaw<\/a> did not get the opportunity to coach Savea \u2013 due to his sabbatical in Japan \u2013 but he feels the move worked out well for all parties involved as both the Hurricanes and Moana have benefited from the decision.<\/p>\n Sonny Bill Williams: Why Scott Robertson should ditch Scott Barrett for \u2018gifted leader\u2019 Ardie Savea as All Blacks captain<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Apart from Moana\u2019s 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\u2019Plessis Kirifi, Peter Lakai, Brayden Iose and Devan Flanders have done admirably in filling the huge void left by Savea\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n \u201cArdie did play for the Hurricanes for 10 years. Julian \u2013 10 years. They played close to 300 games between them. They\u2019re Hurricanes legends. Yeah, they\u2019re playing for Moana now, but we\u2019re really proud of Ardie and the way he\u2019s played,\u201d Laidlaw told Stuff<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it was the right thing for everybody, Ardie going up to Moana. They\u2019ve been successful, he\u2019s played probably his best Super Rugby season in a long time and we\u2019ve got Du\u2019Plessis Kirifi, Brayden Iose, Devan Flanders and so on, and we might have had to lose a couple of those players.<\/p>\n \u2018Everything happens for a reason\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe it\u2019s just a win all around. We get 20,000 here and make some money off the gate. Everything happens for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n Kirifi\u2019s progress has been exceptional this season as he has shown growth as a player and as a leader.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 co-captains.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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\u2019s the maturity he\u2019s shown,\u201d said Laidlaw, who coached the New Zealand sevens team between 2017 and 2013.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s really matured into being able to lead, think about other people as well as play the way he did. He\u2019s a warrior around the breakdown and I think he\u2019s underestimated around his ball carrying too. He\u2019s going good.\u201d<\/p>\n