Ardie Savea, the inspirational captain of Moana Pasifika, has been awarded the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year title for 2025.

The 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year achieved his latest milestone with two weeks left in the regular season, having received an impressive number of votes.

Of Sāmoan heritage, Savea's outstanding performance was highlighted by leading his team to a historic 27-21 win against the Blues, the defending champions, at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 12,000 cheering fans.

"It's a huge honour and blessing to receive this award," the 31-year-old former All Blacks skipper says.

"I wouldn't be the player I am this year or where I am without the team and the brothers. A massive shoutout to my brothers and my family.

"When you're striving for something bigger than yourself and the team, everything is worthwhile, whatever you do."

Savea, who plays as a loose forward, signed with Moana last year, joining the young franchise in Auckland from Wellington.

This season, Savea has been exceptional, earning the maximum six votes in his game against the Blues and accumulating a total of 42 votes throughout the season, far ahead of other players, including Tom Hooper from the ACT Brumbies with 31 votes, and Chiefs' playmaker Damian McKenzie on 28 votes.

In 10 games this season, Savea scored five tries, made over 330 post-contact metres, completed more than 115 tackles, and won 13 turnovers.

He has also been the highest-scoring loose forward in Super Rugby Pacific Fantasy and, for six weeks of the competition, the most-picked player.

Fa'alogo Tana Umaga, the head coach of Moana Pasifika, praised Savea's influence on the team.

"As a club, we're extremely proud of Ardie on all his achievements this year. To be able to coach and work with someone of his calibre is a privilege," Umaga says

"This award is a testament to the leader he is and what he represents. His faith, his family, his culture and his people.

"It also shines a light on everything he does behind the scenes to be the best he can be, which has uplifted everyone around him."

Ardie Savea against the Fijian Drua during their Round 11 Super Rugby Pacific match in Auckland on 26 April 2025. Moana won 34-15. Photo/Photosport

Moana Pasifika are currently in sixth place in the league standings, aiming for their first-ever finals appearance.

They face the Chiefs, who are in second place, in Hamilton this weekend.

Jack Mesley, the CEO of Super Rugby Pacific, says, “Ardie’s passionate leadership and dominant performances for Moana Pasifika this year have made an indelible mark on his team-mates, his opponents, and our competition as a whole.

“He has received votes from the opposition in almost every game he has played this season, which reflects the consistency of his output and influence on his team."

Savea is set to receive the Player of the Year medal in a ceremony during Moana Pasifika’s final regular season game against the Hurricanes at Sky Stadium in Wellington on Saturday, 31 May.

Ardie Savea was awarded World Rugby Player of the Year 2023. Photo/World Rugby

Who is Ardie Savea?

Ardie Suemalo Savea, born on 14 October 1993, is a professional rugby union player and features at Number Eight or flanker for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby and Wellington in the Bunnings NPC.

Savea was a member of the Rongotai College First XV, captain of the side and head prefect in his final year of high school. He played at outside centre (12) at high school, but shifted to the forwards in his professional career.

Savea has represented New Zealand on the international sevens circuit. In 2013, he joined the Hurricanes Super Rugby side after signing a two-year contract. In November, he travelled with the All Blacks to Europe, along with his older brother Julian.

This was because "we want to introduce him to the way of the All Black life," coach Steve Hansen says. Savea was the first non-playing apprentice to be selected internationally for New Zealand.

In 2015, he was selected for the All Blacks Sevens squad to play in the Wellington 7s series in January 2016. He also became a regular starter for the Hurricanes during their 2015 Super Rugby season, but missed the final due to injury.

Julian and Ardie Savea became the first brothers in the All Blacks to score a try in the same test - against the Springboks in 2016. Photo/Photosport

After Brad Shields' injury, Savea took over as captain of Wellington for the rest of the 2015 ITM Cup season and led the Lions to the final of the championship division. Wellington lost to Hawke's Bay's Magpies, 25-26.

In 2016, after opting to withdraw from the All Blacks Sevens, Savea was selected in New Zealand's All Blacks squad for the June test series against Wales. He made his debut, replacing Sam Cane off the bench, on 11 June against the Welsh Dragons at Eden Park, where the All Blacks won 39-21. The following week, Savea scored a try in his second match for New Zealand at Westpac Stadium in front of his home crowd, again replacing. Cane off the bench. The All Blacks won again, 36-22.

He was retained in the All Blacks squad for the 2016 Rugby Championship, and following an injury to Cane, Savea ended up playing two of the Rugby Championship tests as an openside flanker. In his first start for the All Blacks against South Africa in the 2016 Rugby Championship, Savea scored a try, along with his older brother Julian, making them the first brothers in the All Blacks to score a try in the same test. Savea played 12 tests for the All Blacks in his debut season, 10 of which were from the bench.

All Black Ardie Savea wins the ball from Nick Frisby of Australia during their Bledisloe Cup rugby union test match at Eden Park, Auckland, on 22 October 2016. NZ won

He was one of the highest try-scorers for the 2017 Super Rugby season, scoring six that year, including a double in the Hurricanes' opening match within the first 10 minutes. The Hurricanes won 83-17 against the Sunwolves from Japan, with Savea playing the full 80 minutes.

He was selected in the 33-man squad for the 2017 Pasifika Challenge against Sāmoa and the three-test series against the touring British and Irish Lions. He started at No.8 because All Blacks captain Kieran Read had not yet recovered from injury. Savea scored two tries in the 78-0 demolition of Sāmoa and came off the bench as a replacement in all three tests against the Lions, which ended in a drawn series. Savea was retained as an impact player off the bench for most of the 2017 Rugby Championship. A start against Argentina in New Plymouth was the exception, with Cane replacing Savea in the 44th minute of the 39-22 win. Savea made two appearances on the 2017 end-of-year tour, starting in wins over the Barbarians and a French XV.

The 2018 Super Rugby season proved to be a mixed season for Savea, as he performed well against France during the mid-year Steinlager series, and his performance in the first two tests included an outstanding try. Savea earned a start at openside flanker during the final test of the series, on 23 June 2018. The All Blacks defeated France 49-14 in the third test, winning the series 3-0, but Savea came off injured in the 16th minute. He missed the 2018 Super Rugby playoffs due to injury.

He recovered from his ankle injury in time for the 2018 Rugby Championship, replacing Cane off the bench in both Bledisloe Cup tests against Australia. Savea's dominance over the Wallabies earned him a start against Argentina's Los Pumas for round three of the competition on 8 September. He lasted the full 80 minutes, with the All Blacks winning 46-24, but he only earned 12 minutes against South Africa's Springboks the following week, which the All Blacks lost 34-36. Savea did score a try.

Savea was released by the All Blacks for the Wellington Lions in 2018, starring in a 52-7 win over Southland during the Mitre 10 Cup. It was his first fixture for Wellington since his All Blacks debut. For round five of the 2018 Rugby Championship, he was drafted into the starting lineup only hours before the test against Los Pumas, following Sam Whitelock's illness.

Savea went on to dominate, winning the first "Man of the Match" award of his international career. He lasted the full 80 minutes, with the All Blacks winning 35-17. Savea played outstandingly the following week, in the second test against South Africa, replacing Cane only 36 minutes into the test. Savea scored his seventh career try in the final minute, as the All Blacks won 32-30.

Julian and Ardie Savea join forces with Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby Pacific 2025. Photo/Photosport

Savea became a regular starter for the All Blacks during the 2018 end-of-year tour, with Cane out injured with a fractured neck. New Zealand narrowly won 16-15 against England, but lost 9-16 lto Ireland. Savea played in the last test of the year, starting for the All Blacks in their 66-3 victory over Italy, before coming off in the 48th minute for Dalton Papali'i. Savea finished the year as the highest try-scorer among any All Black forward for the season.

In 2019, the Hurricanes once again failed to progress to the final in Super Rugby. Savea was retained in the All Blacks starting lineup, playing at blindside flanker, and featured in four of New Zealand's five warm-up matches before the World Cup in Japan. He was not substituted off for another player in any of the matches, including the 92-7 victory over Tonga.

On 28 August, All Blacks coach Hansen named Savea as one of 31 players in New Zealand's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He played in all three pool matches, including the 7-19 semi-final defeat to England, scoring New Zealand's only try in the game. While Savea did not play in the Bronze final against Wales due to injury, he was a nominee for World Rugby Player of the Year. He eventually lost out to South African flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit.

With his older brother Julian having been a nominee for the award in 2014 and 2015, they became the first set of brothers with nominations for the award. Savea was also nominated for New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year, beating out Beauden Barrett and Anton Lienert-Brown for the title. Savea also won the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year.

On 30 October 2023, Savea was named as the 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year. In September 2024, he signed up with the Moana Pasifika Super Rugby Pacific franchise and was named captain. Moana ended their inaugural season in 11th place, ahead of the NSW Waratahs.

Savea and his wife, Saskia, have three children. Outside of his rugby career, he runs a namesake clothing company alongside his wife and is an advocate for mental health. Savea has also recently started a podcast.

Saskia and Ardie Savea. Photo/Instagram/SaskiaSavea