Ardie Savea could be the centrepiece of serious competition as two Super Rugby teams emerge likely to fight for his signature.
Savea is currently on a year-long sabbatical playing in Japan, and when his time there is complete, he is due to return to Super Rugby.
His current Super Rugby side, Moana Pasifika, is set to be closed down, and therefore, the All-Blacks captain will have no club.
Neil Fissler of Rugby Pass reports that Savea will face competition between the Hurricanes and Blues to get his signature.
The Moana Pasifika downfall
In April, it was reported that the owners of Moana Pasifika were going to pull their funding for the club as they felt the lack of revenue wasn’t enough to cover the risk associated with the funds required to cover the clubs deficits.
Moana Pasifika currently sit at the bottom of Super Rugby, having failed to win a game since their season opener.
Savea had a big impact to performance for Moana Pasifika on the field for the 2025 season. He won Super Rugby player of the year as Moana Pasifika finished the season just outside the playoff places.
History with the Hurricanes
The Hurricanes, based in Wellington, is where Savea broke onto the scene. He played more than 120 times for the franchise before his move to Moana Pasifika and time in Japan.
Four of the five times he won All Blacks player of the year were in his stints with the Hurricanes and he also won Wellingtonian of the Year in 2024, showing his link to the city.
Opportunity at the Blues
While Moana Pasifika are a team to help people represent their Pasifika culture, they are based in Auckland, also home of the Blues. While he has been based in Japan this season, he will have been in Auckland before that.
Hoskins Sototu is set to leave the Blues at the end of the season to join Newcastle Red Bulls for the 2026-27 season, and therefore the Blues will look to replace him with a high-quality back-rower when the 14-time All-Black moves on.
