Half a World Cup isn’t a bad birthday present, is it? Ardi Savea was born on Thursday, October 14, 1993 in Wellington, New Zealand, and celebrated his 30th birthday last night. Well, we readily admit it, celebrating it with over 60,000 screaming Irish people is, on paper, not necessarily a dream.
But since the “Ards” of his nickname is an elite athlete, he finds himself starting with the number “8” on his back, flanked by his captain, Sam Kane, and Shannon Frizzell, the deadly tackle. As the saying goes, we seem to meet great men at great meetings. This Saturday evening at the Stade de France With a strong Irish accent, Ardie Savea proved that he certainly belongs among the leaders of the sport.
Test as a gift
The ubiquitous third down linebacker stands out in the game with the first scratch on the 13thH Minute of play, enthusiastic, he is a natural leader, and never stops encouraging his brothers. A pat on the back of the head for Aaron Smith, a couple of words for Richie Monga after a rather long kicking game, and even an apology sign for Wayne Barnes, the match referee, when he was caught by the patrol. And since you’re never better served, the Hurricanes’ resident Super Rugby great (the jersey he’s played in since 2013, a testament to his loyalty) had a good go. Hell of a gift. In a good position at the end of the line unlike the scrum-half at 33H 1 minute later, he is substituted by Rico Ioana. The icing on his cake is that the Wellington native dives amazingly. Even if it means celebrating your birthday at the Stade de France, it’s better to have beautiful photos!
Against the Irish, Ardie Savea showed strength and class. Sign of the greats. This is evidenced by its statistics. With a try, at 46 meters with ball in hand, 15 runs and above all 17 tackles (!) the New Zealander showed the full extent of his talent. And at the age of 30 and a few hours old now… he still has bright days ahead of him!
