Hurricanes Triumph Over Moana Pasifika in Ardie Savea’s Wellington Homecoming

This article was originally published on Stuff and is reproduced with permission

The Hurricanes emerged victorious after Ardie Savea’s surprising switch to Moana Pasifika, thwarting the legendary loose forward’s new team from making their first appearance in the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs.

To secure the sixth spot, Moana required a bonus-point win during Savea’s return to Wellington, after leaving the Hurricanes.

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Moana garnered significant support during a notably better 2025 season, managing to defeat established New Zealand teams including the Hurricanes, Crusaders, Highlanders, and Blues, putting them in the race for a top-six finish.

However, the wooden spoon holders from 2022 and 2023 ultimately fell short. They needed a bonus-point victory against the Hurricanes, particularly after the Blues topped the Waratahs 46-6 thanks to Rieko Ioane’s hat-trick, allowing them to leapfrog Moana into sixth place and keep their title defence alive.

Securing a bonus-point win against the Hurricanes was always a formidable challenge. While Moana had triumphed over the Hurricanes 40-31 in round four, they had never claimed victory in Wellington, and the Hurricanes were on an impressive five-match unbeaten streak.

Moana appeared to have a glimmer of hope when Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa scored early after an interception by Solomon Alaimalo from a loose pass by Ruben Love, who was back in the fullback position.

However, the Hurricanes quickly asserted their dominance, scoring four consecutive tries, including an intercept from halfback Cam Roigard, and heading into halftime with a commanding 28-7 lead.

The fourth try, clinched by second five-eighth Peter Umaga-Jensen, seemed to deliver a crushing blow to Moana. Umaga-Jensen received the ball in his own half and powered through seven defenders during an impressive 50-metre sprint to score.

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Not only did Moana need to secure victory over the Hurricanes, but they also needed to outscore them by three tries to secure a top-six finish, now facing an uphill battle with a three-try deficit.

Perhaps they had exhausted themselves in their earlier victory over the Blues 27-21 two weeks prior. Moana was still recovering from a devastating 85-7 defeat against the Chiefs the previous week and now faced another heavy loss.

While Savea had delivered an extraordinary individual performance against the Blues, he seemed less impactful against the Hurricanes, appearing to struggle with an injury.

Despite making a few significant turnovers at the breakdown and scoring a consolation try from a lineout push, the 2023 World Rugby player of the year looked like he was moving gingerly and did not significantly influence the game with the ball.

Ten minutes into the second half, Umaga-Jensen crossed the line for his second try of the match, prompting Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw to think the game was secured. He substituted star halfback Roigard with 30 minutes to play, followed by key players Umaga-Jensen and Peter Lakai shortly after.

Replacement prop Abraham Pole added further frustration for Moana when he received a yellow card for a dangerous cleanout, making contact with the head of lock Zach Gallagher right in front of referee Angus Gardner, forcing Moana to play down a man for ten minutes.

Brett Cameron sent a kick to the corner, leading to Hurricanes hooker Raymond Tuputupu scoring directly from the lineout.

Savea momentarily halted the Hurricanes’ scoring spree with a try after crashing over from a lineout drive in the 65th minute; however, this only offered fleeting relief as Pouri Rakete-Stones powered through a defender to score just two minutes later.

Billy Proctor then got involved, executing a dummy and fending off a challenge right in front of Savea to help the Hurricanes surpass the 50-point mark.

Ere Enari, a former Moana player, scored another as the Hurricanes continued their offensive surge, with debutant Tjay Clarke capping off the night in style with a spectacular corner finish, marking the Hurricanes’ tenth try.

The Bigger Picture

The top six teams are confirmed, regardless of the result of the last match of the round between the Reds and Fijian Drua: 1: Chiefs. 2: Crusaders. 3: Brumbies. 4: Hurricanes. 5: Reds. 6: Blues.

What Lies Ahead

The Hurricanes are set to make their way to Canberra for the second time this season, facing the third-placed Brumbies in the playoffs’ first round next Saturday night. The Hurricanes managed to break an eight-year losing streak against Canberra with a 35-29 victory at GIO Stadium five weeks ago; however, they faced elimination in quarterfinals there in both 2022 and 2023, with the 2023 quarterfinal being Savea’s final match for the Hurricanes.

2025 SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC QUALIFYING FINALS

Friday 6 June

Crusaders (2) vs Queensland Reds (5), 5.05pm AEST / 7.05pm NZST, Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch

Saturday 7 June

Chiefs (1) vs Blues (6), 5.05pm AEST / 7.05pm NZST, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton

ACT Brumbies (3) vs Hurricanes (4), 7.35pm AEST / 9.35pm NZST, GIO Stadium, Canberra