Being Ardie. The All Blacks loose forward talks to Ashley Stanley about finding his own voice.
DOING IT HIS WAY ARDIE SAVEA IS DETERMINED TO BREAK THE MOULD ON AND OFF THE FIELD AS HE CHARTS AN EXTREMELY INDEPENDENT PATH. ASHLEY STANLEY EXPLAINS.
Anew wave of professional rugby players is on the rise.
A strong collective force of young Pasifika players knowing their own worth, taking control of their own story and not being afraid to have their voices heard.
And as he’s shown throughout his career, both on and off the field, Ardie Suemalo Savea is leading the way.
The All Black loose forward is in a mature stage of his career, where he feels comfortable to speak on matters that may not have been seen as ‘the norm’ for rugby players in earlier times.
And he believes there is going to be a shift in other players speaking up.
“I think there's going to be a new wave,” says the 27-year-old, who has captained teams from First XV at Rongotai School in Wellington through to the Hurricanes at Super Rugby level. “For so long, it’s the rugby mentality around if you’re new, you come in, don’t say anything, just listen, be humble, and earn your respect through actions.
“They say be yourself but not too much of yourself. And if there's someone that steps out of that normality of what a rugby player should be, it's like ‘Oh, that guy is too out there.’ It’s just the whole New Zealand stigma around that space.”
But Savea has always been one to dance to his own beat. He admits he loves to be the “other guy.”
“Because I'm in a position where I am now, it may give permission for our Pasifika players to do the same,” says Savea who celebrated his 100th game for the Hurricanes this season.
“It doesn’t matter if they are first year, fifth year or in their tenth year, they can be themselves. I really believe the wave will come around athletes not being too shy and not worrying about what other people think.”
It’s one of the reasons why Savea recently launched Uncommon Collective with friend and business partner, Joseph Olive.
Having been a professional rugby player for 10 years, Savea has seen the ins-and-outs of the game and has been influenced by former teammates like All Blacks Victor Vito and Ma’a Nonu. And now he wants to share what he’s learnt with his communities. Savea grew up in Brentwood, a small suburb in Wellington, but his villages in Samoa are Si’umu (Dad) and Lutuanu’u (Mum) on Upolu island in Samoa.
So what is Uncommon? “It's using collective minds and hearts to help guide athletes to know their worth and value,” says Savea. “The vision is to just serve, uplift and empower our athletes. And that’s pretty much the heart behind it.”
Savea knows there is a gap in the market that he’s in a prime position to fill. Particularly in areas of sport where Pasifika athletes are underrepresented. Savea says these areas include the commercial space around partnerships with brands, building intellectual property and athletes’ personal brands, contract negotiations and wellbeing.
IT DOESN’T MATTER IF THEY ARE FIRST YEAR, FIFTH YEAR OR IN THEIR TENTH YEAR, THEY CAN BE THEMSELVES. I REALLY BELIEVE THE WAVE WILL COME AROUND ATHLETES NOT BEING TOO SHY AND NOT WORRYING ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK.’
“And also understanding that from a corporate side of things. Like when we say family, we are for real aiga [family in Samoan], it's not just us and our parents, it's us and the whole village,” he says.
“There are great management groups around the world but I think in New Zealand, we're just trying to tap into that space. And hopefully grow in that area with the right heart.”
One of the main strengths of Uncommon Collective is that Savea is still making a living playing sport. And he doesn’t look like he’s slowing down, both on and off the field.
In 2019, Savea was nominated for World Rugby’s player of the year despite the All Blacks losing to England in the semi-final at the Rugby World Cup in Japan. But he took home the main prize at the New Zealand Rugby awards – the Kelvin Tremain trophy as well as the All Blacks player of the year and Super Rugby player of the year.
Savea says he’s also been learning a lot around the New Zealand players collective and how contracts work.
“Honestly, the gold is in the fine print,” says Savea, who also launched his own clothing company, ASAV, with wife Saskia in 2017. They have two children. “But I feel like our athletes don’t know that sometimes so they just rely on agents or other people to look after it.”
For Savea, Uncommon wants to help educate athletes around contract negotiations and how to share their own story. “And I feel like God called me at this time in my career, not only to try and play well in footy, but also help our younger athletes coming through and even our senior ones too.”
With a change in players' mindsets, there will be a knock-on effect between the relationship of athletes and journalists.
I’VE BEEN THROUGH THAT JOURNEY OF HATING JOURNALISTS BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY DID TO MY BROTHER [FORMER ALL BLACK AND HURRICANE TEAMMATE JULIAN SAVEA]. THEY BUILT HIM UP, JUST TO TEAR HIM BACK DOWN.’
“I’ve been through that journey of hating journalists because of what they did to my brother [former All Black and Hurricane teammate Julian Savea]. They built him up, just to tear him back down,” Savea says.
“They play a big role in creating perceptions in people's minds so just one opinion piece can make people switch and go ‘Oh that guy’s this,’ and they believe that about an athlete for the rest of their lives. But it's not who they are.”
Savea believes young athletes will start to turn their heads and begin to ask questions.
“Not from a place of malice or anything, but just to control our own narratives and make the most of who we are.”
Announcements like signing contracts and injury updates were usually shared through media releases but are increasingly being done by athletes.
“I really feel like there is potential and opportunity around player transparency, direct from player to fan. And fans love that stuff,” says Savea. The Hurricanes captain has just under half a million followers across his social media channels.
Savea understands journalists have a role to play and they need to do their jobs. “There are some great journalists that want to report on the truth and all of that,” he says.
“But then there are some that just kill it for the rest. Like I get it, click bait and negative things sell more than positive stories, but at the same time we’re just human beings.
“The opinion pieces and going further to really slam someone down, I feel like there is a line there.”
It’s something Savea has seen throughout his career. He’s been in the spotlight since making his debut for Wellington in 2012, aged 18. He went on to be capped for the Hurricanes the following year and debuted for the All Blacks in 2016.
To offer a personal perspective,
Savea has set up collaborations to support athletes and uses his clothing brand to promote positive messages.
“I apply part of my journey, encouragement, or how I feel on the garments and put it out there to the world for people to hopefully resonate with it,” Savea says. “And for people to be proud of the ofu [clothes in Samoan] they're wearing.”
He’s come through the New Zealand rugby pathway and hit all the intended milestones. But the one piece of advice Savea wished he knew starting out, was being more interested in the finer details around sport as a business and the importance of off-field development.
“I wish I was more interested in my own career,” reflects Savea. “Understanding how contracts work, understanding how the collective works because we just come in young, and we think that we're going to be superhuman.
“It's not until you get older and you start to actually really focus because it may come to an end soon.”
Realising the power in doing that has led Savea to creating opportunities for himself and family away from the rugby field in a number of ventures.
Earlier this year, he featured on Uninterrupted’s ‘Yours Sincerely’ series. Uninterrupted is NBA star LeBron James and successful American businessman Maverick Carter’s athlete empowerment brand, which started the global hashtag and conversation around ‘More than an athlete’.
“Uninterrupted is a huge inspiration around why we formed Uncommon Collective,” says Savea.
“I look at LeBron James and Mav Carter and see what they're doing around that space and that’s pretty much the model we’re hoping to do but in our own Pasifika way throughout Australasia and maybe long term, the world.”