Moana Pasifika 2026
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@zedsdeadbaby said in Moana Pasifika 2026:
@Mr-Fish said in Moana Pasifika 2026:
@hikastags said in Moana Pasifika 2026:
Does anyone know if Ardie will be playing for MP next year?
A mate of mine who currently plays in Japan seems to think he's heading back there
He has a sabbatical option in his contract for next year so would be strange to not exercise it. Nothing publicly announced yet though - maybe after this year's momentum he'll want to stick around for another season and use his sabbatical in 2027.
It’s my understanding NZR doesn’t allow ‘sabbaticals’ in RWC years.
Would certainly make sense.
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It's official.
The article also says that 30 of the 38-man squad are locked in.
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@Bovidae i can confirm Allen Craig has re signed for another 2 x years with MP
I also know Mp were in discussions with Rebel And Tahs lock/6 Angelo Smith who was unfortunately injured preseason and did not feature
Smith who is Fijian stands at 1.99m 115kgs is some athlete
Unreal impact player especially off the bench with ball in hand excellent on his own and opposition ball
Only issue could be a securing a visa -
Good to see many of the super teams embracing social media better
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This can be shifted across to the exodus thread if need be.
There has been a bit of speculation around Ardie Savea taking his sabbatical in 2026 or not.
I have been told he will be taking that sabbatical and heading back to Japan for the 2026 season so will not be available for Moana. This is coming from the same source who provided the Laumape information a week or so before it was announced.
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@Steven-Harris Have heard that Drua also have Angelo Smith as one of their signing targets for next season too
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Apparently Richie Mo was seen at North Harbour stadium today (Moana Pasifika head office).
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@gt12 said in Moana Pasifika 2026:
He would be a magic signing for them. It would be great to see MP with a spine with that much talent.
Having both Savea and Mo'unga as your stars, doesn't get much better than that.
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@reprobate said in Moana Pasifika 2026:
That would be huge, and It would be pretty cool if they were genuine title contenders. Savea has been a massive boost for them, will be a real shame if he takes the sabbatical.
Especially considering the player losses. They will need him to bring the new band together
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@canefan said in Moana Pasifika 2026:
@reprobate said in Moana Pasifika 2026:
That would be huge, and It would be pretty cool if they were genuine title contenders. Savea has been a massive boost for them, will be a real shame if he takes the sabbatical.
Especially considering the player losses. They will need him to bring the new band together
Yep, success breeds success and a guy like Savea should attract young talent. You'd also think with a team doing well they'd have a good chance at building a bit of depth by picking up some older guys who have been playing over in Europe when they come home?
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Question is how do you change the momentum from signing top quality players for 1 - 3 years. To a more sustainable approach. The current one with is great for building excitement. It just means that the capability and performance of the team is likely to swing wildly from year to year.
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As a strategy, being a final place for PIs to come play for a few years at the end of their career, bringing through youngsters, could work as a means for the PI teams.
Get them out there and contracted to teams in Japan etc, go make your money, then come back later to be a senior player who helps the new generation.
It’s a very different strategy but it could be successful if they can bring home one really good aging player each year (eg, Laumape next year, Mo’unga the following).
Ngani Laumape signs with Moana Pasifika – Moana Pasifika
