Miracle Fai'ilagi dives over in the win over the Hurricanes. Photo / Photosport
Miracle Fai'ilagi dives over in the win over the Hurricanes. Photo / Photosport
Moana Pasifika 40
Hurricanes 31
For all the focus on a certain Moana Pasifika flanker, it was a player on the other side of the scrum who inspired a drought-breaking win over the Hurricanes.
Miracle Faiilagi scored the first hat-trick in Moana Pasifika history as Ardie Savea celebrated victory over his former side, with the skipper cheering from the sidelines as his teammates produced an inspired 20-minute second-half blitz at North Harbour Stadium.
Tight hamstrings saw Savea’s fourth appearance for Moana Pasifika come to an end at halftime, threatening an anticlimactic conclusion to a long-awaited meeting with a team for whom he played 131 games.
But with Patrick Pellegrini pulling the strings in his second Super Rugby game, Faiilagi and Moana Pasifika treated Savea to his first win in blue.
It wasn’t quite a miracle triumph – Moana Pasifika had played well without reward in the opening three rounds – but certainly counted as an upset to remember.
“I feel so grateful – it was an unreal performance from the boys,” Faiilagi told Sky Sport. “Three tries but it was a team effort.
“We got good messages at halftime. It was just about putting pressure on them and just holding onto the ball.”
While Saturday was a milestone victory for Savea – along with coach and fellow Hurricanes centurion Tana Umaga – this was Moana Pasifika’s second over the capital side. But after earning a stunning win in the teams’ first meeting in 2022, the Super Rugby new boys subsequently lost 20 straight games against Kiwi opposition.
Included in that luckless run were four heavy defeats by the Hurricanes, with Savea scoring a hat-trick in a 71-22 rout in Wellington in 2023. Two years and a sabbatical to Japan later, much has changed, and it is only the All Black’s new team who are trending in the right direction.
The injury-hit Hurricanes received one minor boost, with Ruben Love returning from ankle surgery and grabbing a try in a busy first appearance of the season. But they entered this week with a solitary win and could well end it bottom of the competition, with Moana Pasifika leapfrogging their opponents in memorable fashion.
Ardie Savea celebrates during Moana Pasifika's win. Photo / Photosport
A week ago, they came agonisingly close to a maiden triumph at their new home ground, with Pellegrini changing the game while debuting off the bench before a fightback fell barely short against the Highlanders.
The Tongan international stylishly backed up that performance in his first Super Rugby start, sparking counter-attacks with his legs while producing a thumping 50-22 and precise try assist with his boot.
Pellegrini’s flair was matched by an immense work-rate from his forwards, showing the Hurricanes how to be clinical during a first half in which they built a 14-12 lead.
Skill errors prevented the visitors from converting their opportunities into points, enjoying a wealth of possession but watching Moana Pasifika win turnovers before keeping things simple and direct with the ball.
Their pick-and-go game was too much for the Hurricanes as Faiilagi grabbed his first and their slim lead would have been greater but for a couple of squandered late opportunities following a yellow card for Brayden Iose.
The absence of the No 8 didn’t cost his teammates before the break but the Hurricanes certainly seemed undermanned to begin the second spell.
Pellegrini and wing Kyren Taumoefolau combined in spectacular fashion as the home side grabbed two tries in five minutes, and after another yellow card for each side, Millennium Sanerivi almost wrapped up a well-deserved win.
Although the Hurricanes threatened an unlikely revival with three tries in the final 20 minutes, Faiilagi completed his hat-trick to spark celebrations among Savea and his victorious mates.
