Going off eye-test alone, the loose forwards for Moana Pasifika in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition are stand-outs every week – but when you start getting into the intricacies of their play, the realisation dawns of how dominant this trio could become.
Lead by arguably the best player in the world, Moana Pasifika’s backrow featuring Ardie Savea, Miracle Faiʻilagi, and rookie Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa have taken the competition by storm in 2025 – each contributing in their own unique way to catapult a historically dire Moana Pasifika side into a formidable opponent week in week out.
When Savea first announced the move from his beloved Hurricanes to Moana Pasifika, the reactions were an intertwinement of shock, judgement, and excitement – with many hypothesising the impact his leadership could have on his fellow teammates, especially the young loose forwards in the side.
Well, 8 rounds into the season it’s clear that both Faiʻilagi and Tupou Ta’eiloa have taken to Savea’s leadership like ducks to water.
Ardie Savea, captain of Moana Pasifika celebrates the win during the round four Super Rugby Pacific match between Moana Pasifika and Hurricanes at North Harbour Stadium. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
The 21-year-old Tupou Ta’eiloa – who is in his first season of Super Rugby – has been a revelation. The Otago Boys High School and Southland Stags product has always shown the potential to be a classy player, but his play this season has shown the marks of a great prospect with a high ceiling.
As a rookie, Tupou Ta’eiloa is leading the competition in carries – despite only playing six games. On a per game basis, he’s averaging a remarkable 17.3 carries, with the second highest player behind him averaging 12.8 in comparison.
Tupou Ta’eiloa’s work rate is ridiculous, with his last carry of the game often being as hard as his first – earning the label of being one of the hardest runners in Super Rugby. His try against the Waratahs in the weekend – where he barged through 4 would-be defenders – typified his mindset as a ball carrier.
Perhaps equally as devastating 10 metres out from the tryline is Manu Samoa International, ‘The Miracle Man’ Faiʻilagi, who’s dotted down four times in 6 matches – including a hattrick against The Hurricanes.
Faiʻilagi has proven to the perfect foil to Savea and Tupou Ta’eiloa’s weekly brilliance by being another powerful ball runner with a silky skill set to match. The 6 ft 3 behemoth has been an offensive weapon, accounting for three try assists on the season whist averaging 43.6 metres a game.
Rounding the big three out is of course Savea, who’s shown he knows when to put the ‘cape’ on, but also when to take a step back, play his role, and let the other two shine. His round 3 performance against the Highlanders was a perfect example going ‘hero’ mode – stuffing the stat sheet with 1 try, 1 try assist, 5 forced turnovers, 10 tackles, and 60 metres gained.
Despite Savea still being able to put up these herculean performances, the play of Faiʻilagi and Tupou Ta’eiloa has allowed for Savea to knuckle down on his role as a No.7. Although Faiʻilagi missed the game against the Waratahs, Savea was able to primarily flourish there – accounting for 18 tackles on a 95% success rate, whilst making barnstorming runs down the edge.
As Faiʻilagi and Tupou Ta’eiloa continue to grow, Savea can roam with more freedom, making him even more of a headache for opposing teams.
Individually, each player is excelling – but as the cohesion of the three grow, their place in the upper echelon of backrow combinations in the competition will cement itself.
Although it’s a small sample size – there’s currently no better performing backrow in Super Rugby Pacific.
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