Ardie Savea is one of the most composed figures in world rugby — a leader whose calm demeanour rarely cracks. But in a searingly honest sit-down with RugbyPass, the All Blacks captain has admitted that the opening night of the 2023 Rugby World Cup left him genuinely terrified.
Asked what it was like to walk out at Stade de France to face the host nation, Savea did not pretend otherwise.
"For me, when I'm connected to something like deep rootedly — like I die for whatever the players, the boys, the team. When I go around the corner, I'm about to catch the ball, I'm scared. Just scared of the guys in front of me," Savea said.
New Zealand would ultimately lose that opener in Paris, but Savea says the defeat quietly galvanised a squad that had been written off in the lead-up to the tournament. By the time the quarter-final against the world No. 1-ranked Ireland arrived, that dismissal had become rocket fuel.
"We were written off — like, you know, Ireland number one. I remember the pain that it caused losing the Irish series in Wellington. When the final whistle blew, it was just like we put a full stop into what happened the previous year," Savea said.
The Ireland reckoning
That Wellington series defeat in 2022 had been a low point for the All Blacks and, for Savea, something closer to a personal wound. He carried it with him into every training session in France.
The knockout win that followed in Paris was, in his telling, not just a victory but a release — a closing of the book on the most painful chapter of a proud rugby nation's recent history.
The eligibility debate
The conversation then turned to one of New Zealand rugby's most contentious topics: whether Kiwi players based overseas should still be picked for the All Blacks. Savea — currently based in Japan himself — was firm in his answer.
"I think my thing is, if you're Kiwi and you're playing across the world, you should be allowed to. But I know these rules set in place for a reason. I think being able to slowly evolve and change for players to play somewhere else and still be available, I think that should be looked at," he said.
Savea is not the first high-profile New Zealander to push for reform, but his position as captain gives the comments significant weight, particularly with South Africa's more flexible model producing back-to-back Webb Ellis Cup wins.
Japan: tougher than outsiders realise
Savea also offered a pointed defence of his current league, pushing back on the idea that Japan rugby is a soft retirement circuit.
"People would be surprised how tough this competition is. It's surprised me. Coming here — the facilities, the coaches — you've got a few great players here, and the competition you're playing against, like guys from South Africa, Australia, it's demanding," Savea said.
He contrasted that with the pressure cooker of New Zealand rugby, where even a one-game slump brings brutal criticism.
"We're playing Super Rugby — there's so much demand. I was obviously captain of the Canes — you lose a game or two and you're getting ripped apart. People say 'oh don't read it', but as athletes you just scroll past it and you read it. It's hard to avoid it," he said.
A new France to fear
Finally, Savea warned that the French team the All Blacks faced in 2023 is only getting more dangerous. The physical, direct France of old now plays with flair.
"France was always known as the big guy smash and bash direct, but now they've just added some swagger to their game. So they've got both components. That's why they're so dangerous," Savea said.
Taken together, Savea's candour offers an unusually full picture of where the All Blacks sit as 2026 unfolds — proud, bruised, evolving, and led by a captain who has clearly not forgotten what it felt like to be written off.
