Passion and hatred still burns bright: Ardie ignites Super Round

Ardie Savea made a throat-slitting gesture towards a Melbourne Rebels halfback on Friday.
Photo: Screenshot / Sky Sport

Opinion – A lot of us were asking for a reason to shelve the All Black coaching talk for a few days at least, so really a thank you is in order to Ardie Savea for giving us one. The explosive 39-33 win by his Hurricanes over the Rebels in Melbourne was memorable enough because of the tries and close finish, but that’s not what everyone’s talking about right now.

Just before the halftime break, tensions boiled over near the Canes’ goal line. A scuffle broke out, Savea got carded and then got into a verbal stoush with Rebels halfback Ryan Louwrens that ended with the All Black loose forward making a throat slit gesture.

Fuse lit.

Social media exploded not long after with a deluge of takes, ranging from level-headed ‘that was silly’ type to people wanting to call the police. Savea isn’t stupid, he would have spent his time in the sin bin knowing full well what was getting tweeted and shared as he cooled his heels, and the infamy that being rugby Twitter’s main character brings with it – even for just one evening.

So, what now? Despite a contrite apology, Savea has been cited for the gesture and will probably get some sort of sanction given that what he did met the threshold for a red card.

And we’ll keep talking about it because, well, it was just great to see some passion out there. You don’t win games by being nice to the opposition, a lot of times you don’t even win them by being nice to your own teammates. The absolute raw emotion shown is exactly what Super Rugby needed after years of having rivalries dismantled and emotions flattened out by tepid marketing and a lack of a transfer market narrative. The story should never end at full time with handshakes and everyone pretending to be friends.

There is way too much on the line for that. Savea showed that the passion and hatred still burns bright in the ‘dark places’ that rugby players love to reference so much, and we should be thankful for it.

Some other observations from the weekend:

• Did Matatū not know that: 1. They were down by one with two minutes to play 2. Penalties are worth three points 3. They have the Black Ferns kicker – Because all those things should make for a pretty easy decision when you’re awarded a penalty straight out in front? They ended up kicking to the corner then tapping and going off subsequent penalties (which didn’t make sense either) to ultimately [: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/485299/chiefs-manawa-score-seven-tries-to-see-off-blues lose to Hurricanes] Poua 25-24. Someone on the sideline should have run a tee on as soon as the ref’s whistle blew, given that taking the shot would have cooked off the remaining time as well.
• Sonny Bill Williams’ deal as a commentator clearly means he gets to choose his own wardrobe.

2 birds one stone. Work + tan. Efficiency at its best. https://t.co/tykRhYma1v

— Sonny Bill Williams (@SonnyBWilliams) March 5, 2023

• Rameka Poihipi scored the fastest try in Super Rugby history, but the back end of the Chiefs’ 52-29 win over Moana Pasifika showed contrasting things about both teams. The Chiefs are looking good but they fell asleep after halftime to expose some very exploitable areas, while Moana displayed their ability to create a chaotic game that will suit them in the weeks to come.

• Tap penalties five metres out are the new lineout drives, as evidenced by the Fijian Drua’s success against a Waratahs team early. But the promising-looking Tahs were able to soak up a lot of the pressure and come away with a handy win.
• The Highlanders are in deep, deep trouble. They’ve been gashed for 112 points in two weeks, numbers that haven’t been put up on an NZ team since the ‘basketball’ days of Super Rugby. The squad depth has been badly exposed, which raises an interesting idea that some form of spreading talent throughout the teams should be reintroduced. Oh, and they’re playing the Chiefs next weekend.
• What on earth happened to the Blues? It was stinking hot in Melbourne for their loss to the Brumbies, but they couldn’t fire a shot in the second 40 minutes in an error-ridden display. The best thing about this team in the last couple of years has been their consistency, the Blues can’t afford to slip up like this again if they want another Eden Park final.