The first-ever captain of Moana Pasifika, Sekope Kepu, says it’s been fantastic to see the Super Rugby Pacific team really start to shine under their new leader, Ardie Savea.
Even if they don’t make it to the Super Rugby Pacific finals, Kepu, who used to captain Moana Pasifika, believes this season has already been a big success for the side led by Savea.
Moana Pasifika have a very important game coming up against the Hurricanes, Savea’s old team, this Saturday. They need to win to keep their spot in the top six play-off teams.
This year, with All Blacks star Savea, who is proud of his Samoan heritage, as their captain, Moana Pasifika have already won six games; more than ever before.
In their first two seasons, they only won a total of three matches.
Coached by the well-known New Zealander Tana Umaga, they have achieved some big wins, including beating the champion team the Blues for the first time, as well as victories over the Hurricanes, Waratahs, Crusaders, Highlanders, and the Fijian Drua.
Kepu, a former star player for Australia, who led the team in their first year in 2022, thinks these wins already make the season a success.
“From year one, where we won one game … this year, beating a lot more New Zealand teams, there’s been improvements every year, and it’s already a win in my books,” the 39-year-old said.
“It’s just nice to see them start to bear some of that fruit and put pressure on teams and get wins over the teams that they weren’t expected to beat and it will continue to grow..”
The contribution of their forward leader, Savea, has been so significant that he was named the Super Rugby Pacific player of the season even before the regular games finished.
Kepu, who played many international matches, said that Savea, who was the best player in the world last year, leads by example and helps the players around him improve.
“Talking to them, he’s inspired a lot of those guys and having him in there has just been special for the group,” said Kepu, who was last week announced as an assistant coach for the historic First Nations & Pasifika Invitational XV, who will face the touring Lions in July.
“The way he’s led the team has been unbelievable and it’s been unreal to watch their progress.
“The boys, they see a leader, and they follow him and some of those guys I’ve watched develop – Miracle Fai’ilagi and Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa – they’ve just been phenomenal as a backrow and they just follow the leader.”
Source: Australian Associated Press
