Ardie Savea never campaigned to be All Blacks captain and Head Coach Dave Rennie says it was his Pasifika manner, humility and leadership that tipped the scales in what the All Blacks coach says is “a great choice”.
Savea, 32, was confirmed as the new All Blacks skipper on Monday at Rennie’s first squad naming, replacing Scott Barrett, who will no longer be captain, even when he returns from injury.
Rennie said Savea, who he has just finished coaching at Kobe in Japan, isn’t the most loquacious player in the All Blacks, but he’s a natural leader.
“He’s such a good man. He deeply cares, very experienced, highly respected,” Rennie said.
“He’s not a massive talker, so he’ll lead through his actions. Certainly our recent time in Kobe, we made him captain for one game and he played through the roof.
“He’ll do a good job leading the guys, and he’ll lead through his actions.”
Rennie said Savea was humble and unassuming when he called to ask him to take on the role and was quick to make it clear he wouldn’t be upset if someone else was chosen as skipper.
“I’d spoken to him previously, and in his Pasifika manner, his response was ‘I’m happy to support whatever decision you make and I’ll support anyone you make captain.’
“But I talked to him about how we felt he was the right man for the job and his response in the end was ‘OK, let’s do it.’ He’s a great choice from our perspective.”
For his part, Savea admitted he was caught off guard when Rennie called.
“I was at home when I got the phone call and was half trying to listen to Renz (Rennie) and half trying to cater to my kids who were screaming my name to get them changed or something,” Savea said.
“So I was kind of in between, but got the gist of it and I found some quiet space to talk to him and yeah, we had a conversation and he asked and I said yes.”
Despite being widely tipped as the frontrunner for the role, Savea said the call still came as a surprise.
“You never take it for granted, you just don’t know and to be asked by the All Blacks coach, it’s a huge honour.”
The honour of leading the All Blacks also comes with immense pressure, something Savea readily acknowledged.
The 32-year-old said he would lean on his Christian faith and values to help guide him through the challenges ahead.
“I’m nervous but I’m really excited as well. With me the more pressure, the more responsibility I have, the more I turn to my faith in the Lord and I know special things can happen.”
Savea will not have long to settle into the new role.
The All Blacks begin their season next month with home tests against France, Italy and Ireland, before the six week tour to South Africa, where they will face the world champion Springboks in four tests (the final test is in the US).
Asked what success would look like as captain, Savea first offered the answer expected of any All Blacks skipper.
“Winning, that’s success.”
But he believes leadership is about far more than results alone.
“For me on a deeper level is making sure we connect and build trust as people and as players. If I can walk off the field and someone can say I’ve helped them along the way and made them better, that’s success for me as a human.”
Savea said it’s important players feel “seen” and he’s backing Rennie to install a team culture where everyone is held responsible for the side’s performances.
“One thing I know is that Rens, he will come in and make sure we work hard and he’ll keep us accountable for what we’re saying in meetings and in rooms and in trainings and games. It’s going to be exciting.”
One of the challenges the All Blacks captain faces is bringing together all the different cultures in the squad, which now includes a German, in the form of Blues loose forward Anton Segner.
Savea said it’s something that excites him.
“It’s a beautiful thing. I think when people come together under one goal that they’re trying to achieve and you embrace the people and their stories and their testimonies, it can be a beautiful thing.
Of Samoan descent, Savea was a member of the Rongotai College 1st XV, captain of the side in his final year of high school and was head prefect in his final year. Savea played as an outside centre at high school, shifting to the forwards in his professional career.
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