All Blacks star Ardie Savea has revealed that the Blues were the “only” side to offer him a contract after his move to the Auckland-based franchise was confirmed last week.
The 32-year-old needed to find a new team after being liquidated at the conclusion of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
Savea had signed a three-year deal with the side and New Zealand Rugby, which took him to the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but his stint ended one year early due to Moana’s financial problems.
The loose forward could have gone abroad but, with the global tournament on the horizon, moving overseas would have ruled him out of Test contention.
Five options for Savea
That realistically gave Savea five options but, of those New Zealand Super Rugby franchises, just one of them moved in for him, according to the All Blacks captain.
“I was at the ‘Canes for 11 or 12 years, so I honour the franchise and I love my brothers there and what they’re doing, and then obviously went to Moana,” he told The Morning Shift podcast.
“God’s taken me back to the 09 with the Blues, so I’m ready for the last dance.
“Only the Blues came to the table, so I’m just grateful, very, very grateful.
“I just want to say a massive shoutout to the Blues; they showed love from the get-go as soon as the news on Moana [happened], they’ve just been showing love and have been the only ones.”
All Blacks skipper Ardie Savea’s long-awaited move to the Blues confirmed
Savea claimed that Blues CEO Karl Budge, who was appointed in October last year, was a big reason why he ended up at the Eden Park-based outfit.
“He (Budge) was in Tokyo when I was in Kobe. He came down to Kobe and we chatted. We sat down for like five hours at a cafe talking about creative content, new media, new ways to promote the game which was up my alley,” the back-rower said.
“From the get-go I loved him as a CEO and his vision, but also as a person, he just seemed like one of us. When you have that kind of interaction from the get-go, you feel really valued and whatnot.”
‘Highlight of my career so far’
Savea only played 12 times for Moana, having spent 2026 on a sabbatical in Japan, but the All Blacks skipper revealed why it was the most enjoyable time in his career.
“If someone was to ask me what the highlight of my career is so far, it would be Moana, 100%,” he added.
“People ask why and I say: ‘We always started with God and we finished with him’, and I’ve never been a part of a team that actually put him at the forefront of everything. Just being authentically yourself, Pacific, which was awesome.
“Having those boys there, they taught me a lot. Even though they think I did a lot, I learnt so much from them and I feel like I am the player I am today because of that.
“I’m really grateful for that chapter.”
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