text: Ardie Suemalo Savea (born 14 October 1993) is a rugby union player who plays as a flanker or number 8 for  in the ITM Cup, the Hurricanes in Super Rugby and international rugby for the New Zealand All Blacks. Savea was a member of New Zealand's 2019 Rugby World Cup squad and a nominee for 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year.
  
  Savea has previously captained Wellington, and also previously played for the Barbarian F.C., for the New Zealand U20's team, and the New Zealand national rugby sevens team.
  
  Early life
  
  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.
  
  Playing career
  
  Early career
  
  Savea has represented New Zealand on the international sevens circuit. In the 2013 Super Rugby season he joined the Hurricanes after signing a two-year deal.
  
  In November 2013, Savea travelled with the All Blacks to Europe, along with his older brother Julian. This was because "we want to introduce him to the way of the All Black life," said Coach Steve Hansen. Savea was the first non-playing apprentice to be selected internationally for New Zealand, with future teammates of Savea, Jordie Barrett and Atunaisa Moli, being named as apprentices in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
  
  2015-2016
  
  In 2015, Savea was selected for the All Blacks Sevens squad to play in the Wellington 7s series in January 2016. Savea also became a regular starter for the Hurricanes during the 2015 Super Rugby season, but missed the final due to injury. After injury to Brad Shields, Savea took over as captain of Wellington for the rest of the 2015 ITM Cup season. Savea lead Wellington to the final of the Championship division in the absence of Shields, but Wellington lost the final to Hawke's Bay's Magpies, 25-26, with a late conversion from Savea's Hurricanes teammate Ihaia West.
  
  In 2016, after opting to withdraw from the All Blacks Sevens, Savea was selected in New Zealand's All Blacks squad for the June test series against Wales. Savea made his debut for the All Blacks, replacing Sam Cane off the bench, on 11 June, against Wales at Eden Park. Savea made a fine debut, with the All Blacks winning 39-21. The following week, Savea scored a try in his second match for New Zealand at the Westpac Stadium, his home crowd. Savea again made his way onto the field by replacing Cane off the bench. The All Blacks won, again, by 36-22.
  
  Savea was retained in the All Blacks squad for the 2016 Rugby Championship and following an injury to Sam Cane, Savea ended up playing 2 of the Rugby Championship tests as openside flanker. In his first start for the All Blacks against South Africa in the 2016 Rugby Championship, Ardie scored a try along with his brother Julian, making them the first brothers in the All Blacks to ever do so in the same test.
  
  Savea played 12 tests for the All Blacks in his debut season overall, 10 of them off the bench.
  
  2017-2018
  
  Savea was one of the highest try-scorers for the 2017 Super Rugby season, scoring six that year including a double in the Hurricanes' opening match for the year within the first ten minutes. The Hurricanes won their opening match 83-17 against the Sunwolves, with Savea playing the full 80 minutes.
  
  Savea was selected in the 33-man squad for the 2017 Pasifika Challenge against Samoa and the three-test series against the touring British and Irish Lions. Savea started at number 8, against Samoa, because All Blacks Captain Kieran Read had not yet recovered from his broken thumb. Savea scored two tries in the 78-0 demolition of Samoa and came off the bench as a replacement in all three tests against the Lions in a drawn series. Despite performing better than starting openside flanker Sam Cane, Savea was retained as an impact player off the bench for most of the 2017 Rugby Championship. A start against Argentina in New Plymouth was the exception, with Cane replacing Savea in the 44th minute of the 39-22 win. Despite a good performance, Savea's was overshadowed by Cane and by Vaea Fifita who was Man of the Match.
  
  With Matt Todd preferred by All Black coach Steve Hansen during tests, Savea only made two appearances on the 2017 end-of-year tour, starting in wins over the Barbarians and a French XV.
  
  Although the 2018 Super Rugby season proved to be a mixed season for Savea, Savea performed well against France during the mid-year Steinlager series, with his performance in the first two tests including an outstanding try. Due to Sam Cane's ongoing poor discipline, Savea earned a start at openside flanker during the final test of the series, on 23 June 2018. Although the All Blacks defeated France 49-14 in the third test, winning the series 3-0, it proved Savea to be luckless, with Savea coming off injured in the 16th minute, with Matt Todd replacing Savea. Savea missed the 2018 Super Rugby playoffs due to injury.
  
  Savea recovered from his ankle injury in time for the 2018 Rugby Championship, replacing Sam Cane off the bench in both Bledisloe Cup tests against Australia. Savea's dominance over Australia earned him a start against Argentina's Los Pumas for round 3 of the competition, on 8 September 2018. Savea lasted the full 80 minutes against Los Pumas, with the All Blacks winning 46-24, but Savea only earned 12 minutes against South Africa's Springboks the following week. Although Savea only played for 12 minutes during the All Blacks' 34-36 shock loss to South Africa, he still played well and scored a try.
  
  Savea was released by the All Blacks for the Wellington Lions during 2018, starring in a 52-7 win over Southland during the 2018 Mitre 10 Cup. This was his first fixture for Wellington since his All Black debut.
  
  For round 5 of the 2018 Rugby Championship, with Kieran Read being rested, Savea was scheduled to be used as impact off the bench for the All Blacks as usual, with Luke Whitelock starting at number 8 in Read's absence, on 29 September 2018. Savea, however, was drafted into the starting lineup only hours before the test against Los Pumas, with Whitelock falling ill. Savea went on to dominate his opposite number 8, Javier Ortega Desio, winning the first "Man of the Match" award of his international career. Savea lasted the full 80 minutes, with the All Blacks beating Los Pumas 35-17. Savea played outstandingly the following week, in the second test against South Africa, when he replaced the injured Sam Cane only 36 minutes into the test. Savea challenged the Springboks well as scored his seventh career try in the final minute. Savea's try was converted by first-five, Richie Mo'unga, who won the test for the All Blacks through the kick, making the final score a 32-30 win.
  
  Savea became a regular starter for New Zealand during the 2018 end-of-year tour, with Sam Cane out injured with a fractured neck. Savea used his time as a regular starter to surpass Cane as a player, being one of few players to shine for New Zealand in a narrow 16-15 win over England, and a 9-16 loss to Ireland. Savea played in the last test of the year, starting for the All Blacks in a 66-3 victory over Italy, before coming off in the 48th minute for newcomer, Dalton Papalii. Savea finished the year as one of the best-performing New Zealanders in the opinion of many, scoring three tries during the 2018 season, making him the highest try-scorer of any All Black forward for the season.
  
  2019
  Although the Hurricanes once again failed to progress to the final in the 2019 Super Rugby season, Savea was once again influential for the team, with the likes of former All Blacks, Josh Kronfeld and Sir Michael Jones praising Savea's consistent performances. Hurricanes teammate, Beauden Barrett, also referred to Savea as the All Blacks' "most influential player".
  
  Despite the return of Sam Cane to playing rugby, from his broken neck, Savea was retained in New Zealand's starting lineup, although at Blindside Flanker, with Liam Squire opting to withdraw from the team. Savea played in four of New Zealand's five warm-up matches prior to the World Cup in 2019 and was not subbed off for another player in any, including a 92-7 victory over Tonga.
  
  On 28 August, All Blacks Head Coach, Steve Hansen named Savea as one of 31 players in New Zealand's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
   He played in all three pool matches, but was one of few All Blacks who could hold their head high in their semi-final defeat, 7-19 to England. scoring their only try in the test after intercepting a botched line-out throw from English hooker Jamie George.
  
  Although Savea did not play in the Bronze final against Wales due to injury, he was a nominee for World Rugby Player of the Year. Savea eventually lost out on the award to South African flanker, Pieter-Steph du Toit. With Savea's older brother, Julian Savea, having been a nominee for the award in 2014 and 2015, the Savea brothers became the first set of brothers with nominations for the award.
  
  He was also nominated for New Zealand rugby player of the year beating out Beauden Barrett and Anton Lienert-Brown for the title Savea also won Kelvin R Tremain Memorial player of the year.
  
  Personal life
  His older brother is his former Hurricanes and All Blacks teammate, Julian, who currently plays as a wing for Hurricanes. Savea has Samoan ancestry and is a father-of-two, having married his partner, Saskia, in 2018.
  
  Outside his rugby career, Savea runs a namesake clothing company, alongside his wife, and is an advocate for mental health. Savea has also recently started a podcast.
  
  References
  
  External links
   Hurricanes profile
   itsrugby.co.uk profile
   
  
  Living people
  New Zealand rugby union players
  Hurricanes (rugby union) players
  Wellington rugby union players
  1993 births
  Rugby union flankers
  Rugby union players from Wellington City
  New Zealand people of Samoan descent
  People educated at Rongotai College
  New Zealand international rugby sevens players
  Barbarian F.C. players
  New Zealand international rugby union players
  Rugby union number eights
sentences: Ardie Suemalo Savea (born 14 October 1993) is a rugby union player who plays as a flanker or number 8 for  in the ITM Cup, the Hurricanes in Super Rugby and international rugby for the New Zealand All Blacks. Savea was a member of New Zealand's 2019 Rugby World Cup squad and a nominee for 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year. Savea has previously captained Wellington, and also previously played for the Barbarian F.C., for the New Zealand U20's team, and the New Zealand national rugby sevens team. Early life
  
  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. Playing career
  
  Early career
  
  Savea has represented New Zealand on the international sevens circuit. In the 2013 Super Rugby season he joined the Hurricanes after signing a two-year deal. In November 2013, Savea travelled with the All Blacks to Europe, along with his older brother Julian. This was because "we want to introduce him to the way of the All Black life," said Coach Steve Hansen. Savea was the first non-playing apprentice to be selected internationally for New Zealand, with future teammates of Savea, Jordie Barrett and Atunaisa Moli, being named as apprentices in 2016 and 2017 respectively. 2015-2016
  
  In 2015, Savea was selected for the All Blacks Sevens squad to play in the Wellington 7s series in January 2016. Savea also became a regular starter for the Hurricanes during the 2015 Super Rugby season, but missed the final due to injury. After injury to Brad Shields, Savea took over as captain of Wellington for the rest of the 2015 ITM Cup season. Savea lead Wellington to the final of the Championship division in the absence of Shields, but Wellington lost the final to Hawke's Bay's Magpies, 25-26, with a late conversion from Savea's Hurricanes teammate Ihaia West. In 2016, after opting to withdraw from the All Blacks Sevens, Savea was selected in New Zealand's All Blacks squad for the June test series against Wales. Savea made his debut for the All Blacks, replacing Sam Cane off the bench, on 11 June, against Wales at Eden Park. Savea made a fine debut, with the All Blacks winning 39-21. The following week, Savea scored a try in his second match for New Zealand at the Westpac Stadium, his home crowd. Savea again made his way onto the field by replacing Cane off the bench. The All Blacks won, again, by 36-22. Savea was retained in the All Blacks squad for the 2016 Rugby Championship and following an injury to Sam Cane, Savea ended up playing 2 of the Rugby Championship tests as openside flanker. In his first start for the All Blacks against South Africa in the 2016 Rugby Championship, Ardie scored a try along with his brother Julian, making them the first brothers in the All Blacks to ever do so in the same test. Savea played 12 tests for the All Blacks in his debut season overall, 10 of them off the bench. 2017-2018
  
  Savea was one of the highest try-scorers for the 2017 Super Rugby season, scoring six that year including a double in the Hurricanes' opening match for the year within the first ten minutes. The Hurricanes won their opening match 83-17 against the Sunwolves, with Savea playing the full 80 minutes. Savea was selected in the 33-man squad for the 2017 Pasifika Challenge against Samoa and the three-test series against the touring British and Irish Lions. Savea started at number 8, against Samoa, because All Blacks Captain Kieran Read had not yet recovered from his broken thumb. Savea scored two tries in the 78-0 demolition of Samoa and came off the bench as a replacement in all three tests against the Lions in a drawn series. Despite performing better than starting openside flanker Sam Cane, Savea was retained as an impact player off the bench for most of the 2017 Rugby Championship. A start against Argentina in New Plymouth was the exception, with Cane replacing Savea in the 44th minute of the 39-22 win. Despite a good performance, Savea's was overshadowed by Cane and by Vaea Fifita who was Man of the Match. With Matt Todd preferred by All Black coach Steve Hansen during tests, Savea only made two appearances on the 2017 end-of-year tour, starting in wins over the Barbarians and a French XV. Although the 2018 Super Rugby season proved to be a mixed season for Savea, Savea performed well against France during the mid-year Steinlager series, with his performance in the first two tests including an outstanding try. Due to Sam Cane's ongoing poor discipline, Savea earned a start at openside flanker during the final test of the series, on 23 June 2018. Although the All Blacks defeated France 49-14 in the third test, winning the series 3-0, it proved Savea to be luckless, with Savea coming off injured in the 16th minute, with Matt Todd replacing Savea. Savea missed the 2018 Super Rugby playoffs due to injury. Savea recovered from his ankle injury in time for the 2018 Rugby Championship, replacing Sam Cane off the bench in both Bledisloe Cup tests against Australia. Savea's dominance over Australia earned him a start against Argentina's Los Pumas for round 3 of the competition, on 8 September 2018. Savea lasted the full 80 minutes against Los Pumas, with the All Blacks winning 46-24, but Savea only earned 12 minutes against South Africa's Springboks the following week. Although Savea only played for 12 minutes during the All Blacks' 34-36 shock loss to South Africa, he still played well and scored a try. Savea was released by the All Blacks for the Wellington Lions during 2018, starring in a 52-7 win over Southland during the 2018 Mitre 10 Cup. This was his first fixture for Wellington since his All Black debut. For round 5 of the 2018 Rugby Championship, with Kieran Read being rested, Savea was scheduled to be used as impact off the bench for the All Blacks as usual, with Luke Whitelock starting at number 8 in Read's absence, on 29 September 2018. Savea, however, was drafted into the starting lineup only hours before the test against Los Pumas, with Whitelock falling ill. Savea went on to dominate his opposite number 8, Javier Ortega Desio, winning the first "Man of the Match" award of his international career. Savea lasted the full 80 minutes, with the All Blacks beating Los Pumas 35-17. Savea played outstandingly the following week, in the second test against South Africa, when he replaced the injured Sam Cane only 36 minutes into the test. Savea challenged the Springboks well as scored his seventh career try in the final minute. Savea's try was converted by first-five, Richie Mo'unga, who won the test for the All Blacks through the kick, making the final score a 32-30 win. Savea became a regular starter for New Zealand during the 2018 end-of-year tour, with Sam Cane out injured with a fractured neck. Savea used his time as a regular starter to surpass Cane as a player, being one of few players to shine for New Zealand in a narrow 16-15 win over England, and a 9-16 loss to Ireland. Savea played in the last test of the year, starting for the All Blacks in a 66-3 victory over Italy, before coming off in the 48th minute for newcomer, Dalton Papalii. Savea finished the year as one of the best-performing New Zealanders in the opinion of many, scoring three tries during the 2018 season, making him the highest try-scorer of any All Black forward for the season. 2019
  Although the Hurricanes once again failed to progress to the final in the 2019 Super Rugby season, Savea was once again influential for the team, with the likes of former All Blacks, Josh Kronfeld and Sir Michael Jones praising Savea's consistent performances. Hurricanes teammate, Beauden Barrett, also referred to Savea as the All Blacks' "most influential player". Despite the return of Sam Cane to playing rugby, from his broken neck, Savea was retained in New Zealand's starting lineup, although at Blindside Flanker, with Liam Squire opting to withdraw from the team. Savea played in four of New Zealand's five warm-up matches prior to the World Cup in 2019 and was not subbed off for another player in any, including a 92-7 victory over Tonga. On 28 August, All Blacks Head Coach, Steve Hansen named Savea as one of 31 players in New Zealand's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He played in all three pool matches, but was one of few All Blacks who could hold their head high in their semi-final defeat, 7-19 to England. scoring their only try in the test after intercepting a botched line-out throw from English hooker Jamie George. Although Savea did not play in the Bronze final against Wales due to injury, he was a nominee for World Rugby Player of the Year. Savea eventually lost out on the award to South African flanker, Pieter-Steph du Toit. With Savea's older brother, Julian Savea, having been a nominee for the award in 2014 and 2015, the Savea brothers became the first set of brothers with nominations for the award. He was also nominated for New Zealand rugby player of the year beating out Beauden Barrett and Anton Lienert-Brown for the title Savea also won Kelvin R Tremain Memorial player of the year. Personal life
  His older brother is his former Hurricanes and All Blacks teammate, Julian, who currently plays as a wing for Hurricanes. Savea has Samoan ancestry and is a father-of-two, having married his partner, Saskia, in 2018. Outside his rugby career, Savea runs a namesake clothing company, alongside his wife, and is an advocate for mental health. Savea has also recently started a podcast. References
  
  External links
   Hurricanes profile
   itsrugby.co.uk profile
   
  
  Living people
  New Zealand rugby union players
  Hurricanes (rugby union) players
  Wellington rugby union players
  1993 births
  Rugby union flankers
  Rugby union players from Wellington City
  New Zealand people of Samoan descent
  People educated at Rongotai College
  New Zealand international rugby sevens players
  Barbarian F.C. players
  New Zealand international rugby union players
  Rugby union number eights
paraphrased_sentences: Ardie Savea is a rugby union player who plays as a flanker or number 8 for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby and the New Zealand All Blacks. A nominee for the World Rugby Player of the Year, Savea was a member of New Zealand's Rugby World Cup squad. Savea previously captained Wellington, and also played for the Barbarian F.C., for the New Zealand U20's team, and the New Zealand national rugby sevens team. Savea was a member of the Rongotai College 1st XV and captain of the side in his final year of high school. Savea moved to the forwards in his professional career after playing as an outside centre at high school. Savea has represented New Zealand on the international sevens circuit. He joined the Hurricanes in the Super Rugby season. Savea traveled with the All Blacks to Europe with his brother. "We want to introduce him to the way of the All Black life," said Steve Hansen. Savea was the first non-playing apprentice to be selected internationally for New Zealand, with Jordie and Atunaisa Moli being named as apprentices in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Savea was selected for the All Blacks Sevens squad to play in the Wellington 7s series. During the 2015 Super Rugby season, Savea became a regular starter for the Hurricanes, but missed the final due to injury. Savea took over as captain of Wellington after Brad Shields was injured. In the absence of Shields, Savea led Wellington to the final of the Championship division, but they lost to the Magpies, 25-26, with a late conversion from Savea's Hurricanes teammate Ihaia West. Savea was selected in New Zealand's All Blacks squad for the June test series against Wales after withdrawing from the All Blacks Sevens. On 11 June, Savea made his All Blacks debut, replacing Sam Cane on the bench. The All Blacks won 39-21. Savea scored a try in his second match for New Zealand at his home stadium. Savea replaced Cane on the bench and made his way onto the field. The All Blacks won again. Savea played 2 of the Rugby Championship tests as an openside flanker after Sam Cane was injured. Ardie scored a try in his first start for the All Blacks against South Africa in the Rugby Championship, making him the first brother in the history of the All Blacks to do so. Savea was off the bench in 10 of the 12 tests he played for the All Blacks. Savea scored six tries in the last Super Rugby season, including a double in the first ten minutes, and was one of the top try-scorers. Savea played the full 80 minutes in the Hurricanes opening match against the Sunwolves. Savea was selected in the squad for the three-test series against the British and Irish Lions. Savea started at number 8 because Read hadn't recovered from his thumb injury. Savea came off the bench in all three tests against the Lions and scored two tries. Savea was retained as an impact player off the bench for most of the Rugby Championship despite performing better than starting openside flanker Sam Cane. Cane replaced Savea in the 44th minute of the 39-22 win against Argentina. Savea's performance was overshadowed by Cane and Vaea Fifita who were the Man of the Match. Savea only made two appearances on the end-of-year tour, starting in wins over the Barbarians and a French XV. Savea performed well against France during the mid-year Steinlager series, with his performance in the first two tests including an outstanding try. Savea earned a start at openside flanker in the final test of the series due to Sam Cane's poor discipline. Savea came off injured in the 16th minute of the third test and was replaced by Matt Todd. Savea missed the playoffs because of an injury. Savea replaced Sam Cane on the bench for the Bledisloe Cup tests against Australia after recovering from his ankle injury. Savea started against Argentina in the third round of the competition on September 8. Savea played 80 minutes for the All Blacks against Los Pumas, but only 12 minutes against South Africa the following week. Savea scored a try despite only playing 12 minutes in the All Blacks' shock loss to South Africa. Savea was released by the All Blacks to play for the Wellington Lions in the Mitre 10 Cup. He hadn't played for Wellington since his All Black debut. For round 5 of the Rugby Championship, Savea was to be used as impact off the bench for the All Blacks, with Whitelock starting at number 8 in Read's absence. Savea won the first "Man of the Match" award of his international career after being drafted into the starting lineup just hours before the test. Savea lasted the full 80 minutes. In the second test against South Africa, Savea replaced the injured Sam Cane 36 minutes into the test. Savea scored his seventh career try in the final minute. Savea's try was converted by first-five, Richie Mo'unga, who won the test for the All Blacks through the kick. Savea became a regular starter for New Zealand during the end-of-year tour, with Sam Cane out injured with a fractured neck. Savea was one of the few players to shine for New Zealand in a narrow 16-15 win over England and a 9-16 loss to Ireland. Savea came off in the 48th minute of the All Blacks 66-3 victory over Italy in the last test of the year. Savea finished the year as one of the best-performing New Zealanders in the opinion of many, scoring three tries and making him the highest try-scorer of any All Black forward. The Hurricanes once again failed to progress to the final in the Super Rugby season, but Savea was once again influential for the team, with the likes of former All Blacks, Josh Kronfeld and Sir Michael Jones praising his consistent performances. Beauden said Savea was the All Blacks' most influential player. Despite the return of Sam Cane to playing rugby from his broken neck, Savea was retained in New Zealand's starting lineup, although at blindside flanker. Savea played in four of New Zealand's five warm-up matches before the World Cup and was not replaced in any of them. Savea was named to New Zealand's squad for the Rugby World Cup on August 28th. He was one of the few All Blacks who could hold their heads high after their semi-final loss to England. They scored their only try in the test after intercepting a line-out throw from Jamie George. Savea was a nominee for World Rugby Player of the Year despite not playing in the Bronze final due to injury. Savea lost the award to du Toit. The Savea brothers are the first set of brothers to be nominated for the award. Savea was nominated for New Zealand rugby player of the year but lost out to BeaudenBarrett. His older brother is a member of the Hurricanes and All Blacks. Savea is a father of two and has married his partner. Savea is an advocate for mental health and runs a clothing company with his wife. Savea has started a show. Hurricanes profile on itsrugby.co.uk has links to External links. Rugby union number eights are held by players from New Zealand.
masked_text_original: <mask> (born 14 October 1993) is a rugby union player who plays as a flanker or number 8 for  in the ITM Cup, the Hurricanes in Super Rugby and international rugby for the New Zealand All Blacks. <mask> was a member of New Zealand's 2019 Rugby World Cup squad and a nominee for 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year. <mask> has previously captained Wellington, and also previously played for the Barbarian F.C., for the New Zealand U20's team, and the New Zealand national rugby sevens team. Early life
  
  <mask> 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. <mask> played as an outside centre at high school, shifting to the forwards in his professional career. Playing career
  
  Early career
  
  <mask> has represented New Zealand on the international sevens circuit. In the 2013 Super Rugby season he joined the Hurricanes after signing a two-year deal.In November 2013, <mask> travelled with the All Blacks to Europe, along with his older brother Julian. This was because "we want to introduce him to the way of the All Black life," said Coach Steve Hansen. <mask> was the first non-playing apprentice to be selected internationally for New Zealand, with future teammates of <mask>, Jordie Barrett and Atunaisa Moli, being named as apprentices in 2016 and 2017 respectively. 2015-2016
  
  In 2015, <mask> was selected for the All Blacks Sevens squad to play in the Wellington 7s series in January 2016. <mask> also became a regular starter for the Hurricanes during the 2015 Super Rugby season, but missed the final due to injury. After injury to Brad Shields, <mask> took over as captain of Wellington for the rest of the 2015 ITM Cup season. <mask> lead Wellington to the final of the Championship division in the absence of Shields, but Wellington lost the final to Hawke's Bay's Magpies, 25-26, with a late conversion from Savea's Hurricanes teammate Ihaia West.In 2016, after opting to withdraw from the All Blacks Sevens, <mask> was selected in New Zealand's All Blacks squad for the June test series against Wales. <mask> made his debut for the All Blacks, replacing Sam Cane off the bench, on 11 June, against Wales at Eden Park. <mask> made a fine debut, with the All Blacks winning 39-21. The following week, <mask> scored a try in his second match for New Zealand at the Westpac Stadium, his home crowd. <mask> again made his way onto the field by replacing Cane off the bench. The All Blacks won, again, by 36-22. <mask> was retained in the All Blacks squad for the 2016 Rugby Championship and following an injury to Sam Cane, <mask> ended up playing 2 of the Rugby Championship tests as openside flanker.In his first start for the All Blacks against South Africa in the 2016 Rugby Championship, <mask> scored a try along with his brother Julian, making them the first brothers in the All Blacks to ever do so in the same test. <mask> played 12 tests for the All Blacks in his debut season overall, 10 of them off the bench. 2017-2018
  
  <mask> was one of the highest try-scorers for the 2017 Super Rugby season, scoring six that year including a double in the Hurricanes' opening match for the year within the first ten minutes. The Hurricanes won their opening match 83-17 against the Sunwolves, with <mask> playing the full 80 minutes. <mask> was selected in the 33-man squad for the 2017 Pasifika Challenge against Samoa and the three-test series against the touring British and Irish Lions. <mask> started at number 8, against Samoa, because All Blacks Captain Kieran Read had not yet recovered from his broken thumb. <mask> scored two tries in the 78-0 demolition of Samoa and came off the bench as a replacement in all three tests against the Lions in a drawn series.Despite performing better than starting openside flanker Sam Cane, <mask> was retained as an impact player off the bench for most of the 2017 Rugby Championship. A start against Argentina in New Plymouth was the exception, with Cane replacing <mask> in the 44th minute of the 39-22 win. Despite a good performance, <mask>'s was overshadowed by Cane and by Vaea Fifita who was Man of the Match. With Matt Todd preferred by All Black coach Steve Hansen during tests, <mask> only made two appearances on the 2017 end-of-year tour, starting in wins over the Barbarians and a French XV. Although the 2018 Super Rugby season proved to be a mixed season for <mask>, <mask> performed well against France during the mid-year Steinlager series, with his performance in the first two tests including an outstanding try. Due to Sam Cane's ongoing poor discipline, <mask> earned a start at openside flanker during the final test of the series, on 23 June 2018. Although the All Blacks defeated France 49-14 in the third test, winning the series 3-0, it proved Savea to be luckless, with <mask> coming off injured in the 16th minute, with Matt Todd replacing <mask>.<mask> missed the 2018 Super Rugby playoffs due to injury. <mask> recovered from his ankle injury in time for the 2018 Rugby Championship, replacing Sam Cane off the bench in both Bledisloe Cup tests against Australia. <mask>'s dominance over Australia earned him a start against Argentina's Los Pumas for round 3 of the competition, on 8 September 2018. <mask> lasted the full 80 minutes against Los Pumas, with the All Blacks winning 46-24, but <mask> only earned 12 minutes against South Africa's Springboks the following week. Although <mask> only played for 12 minutes during the All Blacks' 34-36 shock loss to South Africa, he still played well and scored a try. <mask> was released by the All Blacks for the Wellington Lions during 2018, starring in a 52-7 win over Southland during the 2018 Mitre 10 Cup. This was his first fixture for Wellington since his All Black debut.For round 5 of the 2018 Rugby Championship, with Kieran Read being rested, <mask> was scheduled to be used as impact off the bench for the All Blacks as usual, with Luke Whitelock starting at number 8 in Read's absence, on 29 September 2018. <mask>, however, was drafted into the starting lineup only hours before the test against Los Pumas, with Whitelock falling ill. <mask> went on to dominate his opposite number 8, Javier Ortega Desio, winning the first "Man of the Match" award of his international career. <mask> lasted the full 80 minutes, with the All Blacks beating Los Pumas 35-17. <mask> played outstandingly the following week, in the second test against South Africa, when he replaced the injured Sam Cane only 36 minutes into the test. <mask> challenged the Springboks well as scored his seventh career try in the final minute. <mask>'s try was converted by first-five, Richie Mo'unga, who won the test for the All Blacks through the kick, making the final score a 32-30 win. <mask> became a regular starter for New Zealand during the 2018 end-of-year tour, with Sam Cane out injured with a fractured neck.<mask> used his time as a regular starter to surpass Cane as a player, being one of few players to shine for New Zealand in a narrow 16-15 win over England, and a 9-16 loss to Ireland. <mask> played in the last test of the year, starting for the All Blacks in a 66-3 victory over Italy, before coming off in the 48th minute for newcomer, Dalton Papalii. <mask> finished the year as one of the best-performing New Zealanders in the opinion of many, scoring three tries during the 2018 season, making him the highest try-scorer of any All Black forward for the season. 2019
  Although the Hurricanes once again failed to progress to the final in the 2019 Super Rugby season, <mask> was once again influential for the team, with the likes of former All Blacks, Josh Kronfeld and Sir Michael Jones praising <mask>'s consistent performances. Hurricanes teammate, Beauden Barrett, also referred to <mask> as the All Blacks' "most influential player". Despite the return of Sam Cane to playing rugby, from his broken neck, <mask> was retained in New Zealand's starting lineup, although at Blindside Flanker, with Liam Squire opting to withdraw from the team. <mask> played in four of New Zealand's five warm-up matches prior to the World Cup in 2019 and was not subbed off for another player in any, including a 92-7 victory over Tonga.On 28 August, All Blacks Head Coach, Steve Hansen named <mask> as one of 31 players in New Zealand's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He played in all three pool matches, but was one of few All Blacks who could hold their head high in their semi-final defeat, 7-19 to England. scoring their only try in the test after intercepting a botched line-out throw from English hooker Jamie George. Although <mask> did not play in the Bronze final against Wales due to injury, he was a nominee for World Rugby Player of the Year. <mask> eventually lost out on the award to South African flanker, Pieter-Steph du Toit. With <mask>'s older brother, <mask>, having been a nominee for the award in 2014 and 2015, the <mask> brothers became the first set of brothers with nominations for the award. He was also nominated for New Zealand rugby player of the year beating out Beauden Barrett and Anton Lienert-Brown for the title Savea also won Kelvin R Tremain Memorial player of the year.Personal life
  His older brother is his former Hurricanes and All Blacks teammate, Julian, who currently plays as a wing for Hurricanes. Savea has Samoan ancestry and is a father-of-two, having married his partner, Saskia, in 2018. Outside his rugby career, <mask> runs a namesake clothing company, alongside his wife, and is an advocate for mental health. Savea has also recently started a podcast. References
  
  External links
   Hurricanes profile
   itsrugby.co.uk profile
   
  
  Living people
  New Zealand rugby union players
  Hurricanes (rugby union) players
  Wellington rugby union players
  1993 births
  Rugby union flankers
  Rugby union players from Wellington City
  New Zealand people of Samoan descent
  People educated at Rongotai College
  New Zealand international rugby sevens players
  Barbarian F.C. players
  New Zealand international rugby union players
  Rugby union number eights
masked_text_paraphrased: <mask> is a rugby union player who plays as a flanker or number 8 for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby and the New Zealand All Blacks. A nominee for the World Rugby Player of the Year, <mask> was a member of New Zealand's Rugby World Cup squad. <mask> previously captained Wellington, and also played for the Barbarian F.C., for the New Zealand U20's team, and the New Zealand national rugby sevens team. <mask> was a member of the Rongotai College 1st XV and captain of the side in his final year of high school. <mask> moved to the forwards in his professional career after playing as an outside centre at high school. <mask> has represented New Zealand on the international sevens circuit. He joined the Hurricanes in the Super Rugby season.<mask> traveled with the All Blacks to Europe with his brother. "We want to introduce him to the way of the All Black life," said Steve Hansen. <mask> was the first non-playing apprentice to be selected internationally for New Zealand, with Jordie and Atunaisa Moli being named as apprentices in 2016 and 2017, respectively. <mask> was selected for the All Blacks Sevens squad to play in the Wellington 7s series. During the 2015 Super Rugby season, <mask> became a regular starter for the Hurricanes, but missed the final due to injury. <mask> took over as captain of Wellington after Brad Shields was injured. In the absence of Shields, <mask> led Wellington to the final of the Championship division, but they lost to the Magpies, 25-26, with a late conversion from Savea's Hurricanes teammate Ihaia West.<mask> was selected in New Zealand's All Blacks squad for the June test series against Wales after withdrawing from the All Blacks Sevens. On 11 June, <mask> made his All Blacks debut, replacing Sam Cane on the bench. The All Blacks won 39-21. <mask> scored a try in his second match for New Zealand at his home stadium. <mask> replaced Cane on the bench and made his way onto the field. The All Blacks won again. <mask> played 2 of the Rugby Championship tests as an openside flanker after Sam Cane was injured.<mask> scored a try in his first start for the All Blacks against South Africa in the Rugby Championship, making him the first brother in the history of the All Blacks to do so. <mask> was off the bench in 10 of the 12 tests he played for the All Blacks. <mask> scored six tries in the last Super Rugby season, including a double in the first ten minutes, and was one of the top try-scorers. <mask> played the full 80 minutes in the Hurricanes opening match against the Sunwolves. <mask> was selected in the squad for the three-test series against the British and Irish Lions. <mask> started at number 8 because Read hadn't recovered from his thumb injury. <mask> came off the bench in all three tests against the Lions and scored two tries.<mask> was retained as an impact player off the bench for most of the Rugby Championship despite performing better than starting openside flanker Sam Cane. Cane replaced <mask> in the 44th minute of the 39-22 win against Argentina. <mask>'s performance was overshadowed by Cane and Vaea Fifita who were the Man of the Match. <mask> only made two appearances on the end-of-year tour, starting in wins over the Barbarians and a French XV. <mask> performed well against France during the mid-year Steinlager series, with his performance in the first two tests including an outstanding try. <mask> earned a start at openside flanker in the final test of the series due to Sam Cane's poor discipline. <mask> came off injured in the 16th minute of the third test and was replaced by Matt Todd.<mask> missed the playoffs because of an injury. <mask> replaced Sam Cane on the bench for the Bledisloe Cup tests against Australia after recovering from his ankle injury. <mask> started against Argentina in the third round of the competition on September 8. <mask> played 80 minutes for the All Blacks against Los Pumas, but only 12 minutes against South Africa the following week. <mask> scored a try despite only playing 12 minutes in the All Blacks' shock loss to South Africa. <mask> was released by the All Blacks to play for the Wellington Lions in the Mitre 10 Cup. He hadn't played for Wellington since his All Black debut.For round 5 of the Rugby Championship, <mask> was to be used as impact off the bench for the All Blacks, with Whitelock starting at number 8 in Read's absence. <mask> won the first "Man of the Match" award of his international career after being drafted into the starting lineup just hours before the test. <mask> lasted the full 80 minutes. In the second test against South Africa, <mask> replaced the injured Sam Cane 36 minutes into the test. <mask> scored his seventh career try in the final minute. <mask>'s try was converted by first-five, Richie Mo'unga, who won the test for the All Blacks through the kick. <mask> became a regular starter for New Zealand during the end-of-year tour, with Sam Cane out injured with a fractured neck.<mask> was one of the few players to shine for New Zealand in a narrow 16-15 win over England and a 9-16 loss to Ireland. <mask> came off in the 48th minute of the All Blacks 66-3 victory over Italy in the last test of the year. <mask> finished the year as one of the best-performing New Zealanders in the opinion of many, scoring three tries and making him the highest try-scorer of any All Black forward. The Hurricanes once again failed to progress to the final in the Super Rugby season, but <mask> was once again influential for the team, with the likes of former All Blacks, Josh Kronfeld and Sir Michael Jones praising his consistent performances. Beauden said <mask> was the All Blacks' most influential player. Despite the return of Sam Cane to playing rugby from his broken neck, <mask> was retained in New Zealand's starting lineup, although at blindside flanker. <mask> played in four of New Zealand's five warm-up matches before the World Cup and was not replaced in any of them.<mask> was named to New Zealand's squad for the Rugby World Cup on August 28th. He was one of the few All Blacks who could hold their heads high after their semi-final loss to England. They scored their only try in the test after intercepting a line-out throw from Jamie George. <mask> was a nominee for World Rugby Player of the Year despite not playing in the Bronze final due to injury. <mask> lost the award to du Toit. The <mask> brothers are the first set of brothers to be nominated for the award. <mask> was nominated for New Zealand rugby player of the year but lost out to BeaudenBarrett.His older brother is a member of the Hurricanes and All Blacks. <mask> is a father of two and has married his partner. <mask> is an advocate for mental health and runs a clothing company with his wife. <mask> has started a show. Hurricanes profile on itsrugby.co.uk has links to External links. Rugby union number eights are held by players from New Zealand.