All Black loose forward Ardie Savea is preparing for a new Super Rugby campaign with Moana Pasifika. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
It hasn't taken long for All Blacks star Ardie Savea to have an impact on Super Rugby side Moana Pasifika.
Despite being on enforced leave following the All Blacks Northern Tour, Savea seized the day earlier this week, calling up coach Tana Umaga, and asking if he could spend a day with his new side, following the announcement back in July he was leaving the Hurricanes.
His aura was evident from the outset.
"As soon as he came in everyone was quiet," Umaga said.
"You could hear his brother (Julian) saying, 'Just act natural guys. Don't worry - he's just like anyone else!'
"So after a bit of a laugh, it kind of mellowed out a little bit, but I did see a bit of intensity and focus come through a bit more, and that's what we knew we'd get by having Ardie come on board with us."
And it wasn't just the players who Savea impressed.
"He really humbled the coaches too, because we thought we were being really innovative [in training sessions], but he came in for like two hours and knew what we were doing straight away," Umaga said.
"And that's the beauty of having someone with that experience. Even though he's not going to be with us until late January, his rugby nous and the sense that he has, it didn't take him long to pick it up."
Which is just as well, because Savea's late arrival will mean he will have just over two weeks to get all set for Moana Pasifika's first Super Rugby game against the Force in Perth on 15 February.
Until then, the rest of the squad are in the side's fourth pre-season, and some players have already needed a kick up the backside, for not adopting the "don't come in to get fit, come in to get better" mantra.
Moana Pasifika coach Tana Umaga. Photo: Photosport
Things, of course, need to change at Moana Pasifika, with the team having won just seven of 42 games in its first three seasons.
"There's been a lot of onus on them to do some work before they get here," Umaga said.
"Ninety percent of them have done that, but there's still a few that probably are a little bit underdone. Those players have been having to work and earn the right to have the pleasure of training out on the field, and instead have been watching from upstairs on a bike.
"We need to work hard this year. We've got a lot of things we want to achieve - just like everybody else - but we know those things won't come without hard work," he said.
Moana Pasifika are preparing for Super Rugby 2025 at North Harbour Stadium, under a shared arrangement with A-League football club, Auckland FC.
Umaga said it's been a pleasure watching them do their thing, even though their paths haven't crossed too much.
"It's like flatmates and we're all on different shifts, but just having them around, and the success they've been having, it's lifted the vibe around here."
-RNZ
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