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Savea consoles Moana Pasifika after shock 85-7 loss to Chiefs

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Captain Ardie Savea spoke quietly, consolingly to his players after Moana Pasifika’s shock 85-7 loss to the Chiefs Saturday in the penultimate regular season round of Super Rugby.

The defeat came only a week after Moana Pasifika were on a high after their sixth win of the season and their first-ever win over the defending champion Blues moved it into sixth place on the championship table.

Moana Pasifika held onto sixth place despite the massive loss, though their task of sealing a playoffs place for the first time is now much more difficult. They will face the fourth-placed Hurricanes in next weekend’s final round and now have the Auckland-based Blues and New South Wales Waratahs breathing down their neck.

The Wellington-based Hurricanes are unbeaten in their last five matches, a streak which includes a convincing win over the Chiefs.

Savea told his teammates not to make excuses or look to blame others for Saturday’s record defeat. Rather, he said, they should commit it to memory and draw on it later for inspiration.

“You can be up one day and get humbled real quick,” Savea said as his players stood around him arm in arm. “Our season’s still alive. We’ve got one (win) still to get.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow. Take it. Look up boys, look up. It’s not over yet.”

Later, in a television interview Savea reflected on the first major setback in a record-breaking season for Moana Pasifika.

The Auckland-based team has never won six matches in a season. This year under Savea’s inspirational leadership for the first time and the coaching of Fa’alogo Tana Umaga, Moana Pasifika has achieved a new sense of unity and discovered its full potential.

Savea admitted nothing had gone right Saturday. The Chiefs scored their first try after nine minutes through fullback Shaun Stevenson, who had a creative role in several tries.

Scrumhalf Cortz Ratima and winger Leroy Carter each scored hat-tricks for the Chiefs.

Moana Pasifika were punished for poor discipline with two yellow cards and a penalty try.

“It was a tough night,” Savea said. “You’ve got to give credit to the Chiefs, they were just ruthless tonight and we couldn’t get out of it.

“We’re on fire when things are going our way. It’s just now asking the question about when we’re under pressure like that how we can get out of it. It’s a question to the boys and to myself as a leader."

The Chiefs’ win lifted them back to into first place, above the Crusaders, ACT Brumbies, Hurricanes and Queensland Reds. It was a performance that demanded the attention of all those teams with the playoffs only two weeks away.

The Chiefs played with width, from touchline to touchline, constantly stretching the defense until it bent and broke. They will now finish their regular season with a match against the 10th-place Highlanders while the Crusaders face a much tougher finish against the Brumbies in Canberra.

The Blues and Waratahs meet in Auckland in a match both teams must win to have any chance of reaching the playoffs.

Reece's record

Crusaders winger Sevu Reece became the top try-scorer in Super Rugby history Friday when he scored his 66th career try in the Crusaders 15-12 win over the Highlanders.

Reece had equaled T.J. Perenara’s record of 65 tries a week earlier and now takes the outright record ahead of Perenara, Julian Savea (63) and Israel Folau (60).

“I was just speechless,” said Reece who was playing his 84th Super Rugby match. “It was honestly awesome.

“I’ve seen it in basketball when someone hits a milestone and they stop the game. When they did that tonight, it was awesome. Just seeing how far I’ve come, it’s a very special moment.”

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

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