Ardie Savea a rugby great? Dan Biggar discusses All Blacks number eight’s legacy as debate raised after World Cup defeat
All Blacks number eight Ardie Savea alongside Wales great Dan Biggar.
Dan Biggar has discussed whether the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup disappointment would stop Ardie Savea from entering the pantheon of greats.
The number eight is currently considered one of the best players around and was named World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year for 2023.
That was despite New Zealand’s loss to South Africa in the World Cup final, where Ian Foster’s men agonisingly went down by a point in the showpiece event.
Savea has been consistently excellent over the past few years and established himself as one of the premier back-rows in the game, but there has not been a prized global tournament success.
Biggar appeared on The Rugby Pod and was asked by Jim Hamilton as to whether that would affect his status when he retires.
Parisse and Dupont
The Wales legend then fired back the question: “It all depends on who you play with. Would you say Sergio Parisse was a great of the game?” To which Hamilton responded, “I would say so.”
“In the era that he played for Italy, they were never going to win the World Cup,” Biggar added.
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The 34-year-old then went on to compare him to Antoine Dupont, who is another massive talent that could fail to lift the Webb Ellis Cup despite his incredible individual performances.
“For me, Antoine Dupont is the best player in the world by a mile and he is potentially one of the best players to have ever played the game. But there’s a good chance he will not win a World Cup,” Biggar said.
As a result, the Welshman was adamant that Savea would still be remembered alongside the greats of rugby, even if he failed to win a World Cup.
However, Biggar did admit that playing a key part in global tournament successes can elevate your legacy, as has been the case with Siya Kolisi.
“When you look at Kolisi, he’s a brilliant player, but because he’s captained back-to-back World Cups, all of a sudden he goes from one level to a different stratosphere,” he said.
“I think it very much depends on what era you play in but, for Ardie Savea to go down as one of the best players to wear the shirt, I don’t think he has to win a World Cup.”
Different view in New Zealand?
Savea is now the wrong side of 30 but could still be a key a player for the All Blacks by the time of the next World Cup in 2027.
He will be 33 when that tournament kicks off in Australia so, injury and form depending, the number eight should get at least one more shot at the game’s ultimate prize.
New Zealand supporters are incredibly demanding of their team and almost expect World Cup success, which Biggar believes could lead to a different view of the back-row in his home country.
“If you ask New Zealanders that question, I think you would get a different answer. If you went into a cafe in Auckland and asked that question, I think the answer would be very different to the one I just gave,” he added.
