Ardie Savea calls for urgency after another Moana Pasifika loss

Moana Pasifika captain Ardie Savea has stressed the need for his side to start turning performances into victories, with 13 rounds still to play in the Super Rugby Pacific competition.

His remarks came following a heartbreaking 31-29 defeat to the Highlanders, a match in which Moana Pasifika dominated several key areas but fell short where it mattered most—on the scoreboard.

Savea, who played a key role in the second-half comeback, admitted that while there were positive moments, the team must find ways to secure wins.

"For me, at the end of the day, I gotta win games, and as much as there were great moments for our team, we still lost and for this team, we want to win games."

Moana Pasifika trailed 31-10 at half-time but fought their way back into contention, showcasing determination and resilience. Savea, who scored a crucial second-half try, acknowledged the team's spirit but insisted they need to stop putting themselves in difficult positions.

"Just we got to stop putting ourselves in those positions. And whether that's the mental game, whether that's nailing our next moment, whether that's we switch off, we've got to find answers quickly. And that's, that's something that we need to promote."

Despite showing significant progress, the team is yet to register a victory in the competition, and Savea believes it is time to address their shortcomings before the season slips away.

Looking ahead to their round four clash against the Hurricanes, Savea identified field positioning and discipline as areas that require urgent improvement.

"When we play in the right areas of the field, things are a lot easier. We trust our forwards to play the power game and we've got some amazing ball carriers, some power athletes."

However, he admitted that costly errors, particularly when stuck deep in their own half, have made games harder than they should be.

"It's when we kind of get stuck in our half or in our 22 and we let teams through our errors. That's when we're in trouble."

With the team still searching for their first win of the season, Savea acknowledged that the upcoming clash with the Hurricanes—his former club—would be a crucial test.