How All Blacks captain Ardie Savea is breaking new ground in rugby's battle for engagement

Ardie Savea is sitting in a Wellington café in a Blues jersey, answering questions from thousands of people watching him live on YouTube.The comments keep coming - questions about his new club, speculation about his future, jokes, declarations of support and the occasional insult.Savea reads them all from his phone and, every so often, answers one directly.The All Blacks captain has announced where he will play Super Rugby next year. There is no press conference, no wall of sponsors' logos and no scrum of reporters.Instead, Savea is doing it his way, on his own ASAV YouTube channel, which has 31,000 subscribers.At one point, Savea remarks that he has never had such interest in one of his livestreams. By the time it is over, 13,000 have watched live, many joining the conversation as it unfolds.The interest probably should not be surprising for he is the All Blacks captain announcing where he will playSuper Rugby next year - almost certainly his final season in the competition.For New Zealand rugby, this is an unusual way for its biggest star to announce his next move. For Savea, it is part of something bigger - a willingness to bypass the traditional media set-piece, invite fans into his world and build a personal brand on his own terms.It is after 4pm on Friday, 2 October. The café, owned by friend Tait Burge, with whom Savea interacts, is closed.He is being filmed by friend Matt Manukia, a former 1News sports reporter who worked closely with Savea during his time as the All Blacks media manager under former coach Ian Foster and who continued afterwards in a similar role at Moana Pasifika.The livestream has already taken in a flat white-making lesson and a series of costume changes, with Savea trying on the jerseys of potential Super Rugby destinations, teasing moves to the Highlanders, Chiefs, Blues and Crusaders.Savea takes questions on his YouTube livestream.Ardie Savea YouTubeEarlier, Savea tells his audience before the big reveal: "I wanted to do something different... obviously we've done a lot of announcements and it's always been the same and whatnot."Me being injured, it's given me time to 'rip and feel' on the creative flow."I just wanted to do something fun, something different and test it out, and pretty much go directly to go you guys and not through anyone else."There's been a lot of speculation, so let me know where you want me to go, where you think I'm going to go and I'll be announcing it very soon."After I announce [destination], my press conference is going to be right on here in the chat, so you guys ask me anything... I want to give back to you guys and let you guys have a say."As for his jersey changes, Savea says: "How does it look? You've got to try before you buy, you know?"At one point, Savea sees a comment that says: "tough watch".He replies: "Hey, some people are gonna love you and some people are gonna hate you. You can't please everyone."Savea scores one of his two tries for the All Blacks before leaving the field injured during his team's second test defeat to the Springboks in Johannesburg in September.Muzi Ntombela / BackpagePix / PHOTOSPORTA star the Blues can build aroundSavea, a 33-year-old who has played 112 tests, was officially announced as All Blacks captain in June by new head coach Dave Rennie.The loose forward, recognised as the world's best player in 2023 and who has maintained his excellence for a decade after making his test debut in 2016, always promised to be a different type of All Blacks skipper.Savea has his own clothing range and is active in promoting Asics, a direct competitor of adidas, a major sponsor of New Zealand Rugby and the All Blacks.He is the busiest of the All Blacks on social media. An orthodox captain in the form of Richie McCaw, Kieran Read, Sam Cane or Scott Barrett he is not.He was given the go-ahead for his do-it-yourself Blues announcement by franchise chief executive Karl Budge, a man who has been in the role for almost exactly 12 months and is also keen to do things differently.Budge agreed to talk to RNZ a couple of hours before Savea's announcement on the proviso we didn't publish anything until the man himself confirmed it.During our conversation, Budge said of Savea's signing: "It's going to be transformational for us and it probably epitomises the change we're trying to go through at the Blues."He went on to talk about the style of rugby the Blues wanted to play under new coach Jason Holland, a former Hurricanes head coach and All Blacks assistant, alongside Savea.Budge continues: "Equally important, I think he's going to help us connect with fans that we've not been able to do before."He is rugby's biggest star and I think we can really leverage that connection and embrace it, and let him really push us into being a modern fan-first organisation."The embracing of it could be seen later that night, when Auckland's Sky Tower was lit up in blue, and featured Savea's portrait and the message: "Ardie for the 09".Ardie Savea's portrait and welcome to the Blues lights up Auckland's Sky Tower.Blues Rugby InstagramNearly three weeks after Savea's livestream, a hugely successful announcement on every metric for the Blues, Budge told RNZ of the Sky Tower illumination: "The idea was that we very much wanted to celebrate this with our city."There is no doubt that the Blues are leveraging a new signing like never before and that's fine by Savea.Talking of his dealings with the Blues and Budge, the question comes up on the livestream."They've been amazing. From the very first, he's shown love, care and interest."You can't doubt the man. He came to Kobe to catch up with me when I was in Japan and the first time I met him, we sat for five hours just chatting about content, creative ideas, how he sees the Blues... the five hours felt like 30 minutes."Budge said later he was staggered by the splash Savea's announcement made."Compared with the piece of content we shared when we won the title in '24 - across reach, engagement, likes and shares - he got over 100 times more than that," he said."It's the modern way of interacting now and it's what new fans are looking for. They want to know the personality, not just the announcement."Ardie showed that - it was authentically Ardie."We peaked at about 13,000 people live at one point - commenting and interacting. Probably not many of those 13,000 would tune into my [media] stand-ups, it's fair to say."We want to be a modern sports entertainment franchise... we want to be open and interact with our fans."It's all the stuff that is modern in today's sport around the world, but it's something we don't have too much here in New Zealand."Borrowing from the American playbookBeyond the sense that Savea's announcement is so different to what for years has been considered a normal media set-piece for such a reveal - a press release, followed by a press conference at the club's headquarters - there is also a sense that the occasion feels borrowed from the United States and in particular the NBA.LeBron James, left, pictured during the NBA playoffs in 2015 after his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.Curtis Compton/PHOTOSPORTIn 2010, LeBron James, a free agent after playing six seasons for Cleveland Cavaliers, agreed to a live announcement on ESPN, titled 'The Decision', were he revealed he was joining Miami Heat. More than 10 million people watched it.Furthermore, and closer to home, Savea said on his livestream that his season with the Blues would be called 'The Last Dance'.It is difficult to miss the similarities with the great Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997/98. Jordan's hunt for a sixth successive title was themed in the same way and remembered in spectacular fashion by the 2020 Netflix documentary, overseen by Jordan, entitled The Last Dance.Why call it that, asked Manukia off screen."Because it's going to be my last Super Rugby team that I'm going to play for in New Zealand," replied Savea."Moana obviously are not in the comp and shout out to my brothers at Moana... but I'm really blessed to have the Blues beside me. I can't wait."Savea's platform of choice could be seen to be at odds with his first interview as All Blacks skipper.In a chat with Sky Sports outside Feilding Yellows Rugby Club back in June, he said: "I'm a man of few words, I try to lead through actions."A lot of the leaders that impacted me didn't say much, but really, really led through actions through the training week and the game."A few months later, he's hosting a 70-minute livestream in which he barely pauses for breath.However, a little later in the same interview, he said: "We're at the stage now in New Zealand rugby where we need to start being pioneers."Ardie Savea was announced as All Blacks captain at the Feilding Yellows Rugby Club in June.Marty Melville/PhotosportHe is that through the groundbreaking (in New Zealand rugby terms) access he provides his followers (on his own terms).For example, a seven-minute video of Savea meeting a young man at a Cape Town shopping mall promotion, and which progressed to a meeting with his family and getting a haircut from his mother at the family home on the eve of the second test in August has been viewed more than 142,000 times.It was filmed by Manukia. Neither Manukia nor Savea responded to several invitations to comment for this piece, but in terms of his broader attitude towards the mainstream media, the seeds were sown six years ago.In a social media post in 2020, Savea wrote: "Maybe it's that players want to control their own news and bring it out the way they want to, not through a media scrum where you have journos tryna get clickbait."The new wave is coming and players are realising they have control over their story through their own channels."It should be noted that Savea has always been courteous and accommodating to the mainstream media.Within New Zealand Rugby, there will be an awareness of Savea's power to mould the opinions of many in the player group, especially the younger members, and his growing personal brand.Many at the organisation will be aware, too, that Savea is conscious that some within the high-performance group of New Zealand Rugby did not want him moving from the Hurricanes to Moana Pasifika, where he spent one hugely inspirational season, because they did not think the environment would be conducive to his development as a top All Black.Ardie Savea accepts his 2025 Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year award, after Moana Pasifika's loss to his former team the Hurricanes in Wellington.Elias Rodriguez / www.photosport.nzThere is a theory that his consistently high-class performances in a historic season that featured first-ever victories over the Crusaders and Blues were a result of him wanting to prove people wrong - a theme, apparently, when it comes to Savea.Back on the livestream and someone comments that the "Blues get another Canes player at the twilight of their career".Savea replies: "I wouldn't say twilight... but yes, I'd love for you guys to keep doubting - doubting the Blues, doubting myself."There is no escaping the fact that Savea is catering for a younger, more tech-savvy generation that New Zealand Rugby want to attract. Budge at the Blues has already made that plain.It was noticeable during the week of the recent Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park, won 50-19 by the All Blacks, that the proverbial red carpet was rolled out to various social media 'influencers', some of whom were invited to the team-naming press conference at the team's hotel in Auckland's Viaduct and shot various videos with players afterwards.Many were also sideline during and after the victory over the Wallabies, which featured a sensational five-try second-half finish by the All Blacks, but no Savea - still in rehabilitation mode after the shoulder surgery on his injury in South Africa.RNZ put several questions to NZ Rugby, including: "What is NZR's overall view of what could be described as Savea's 'brand-building' and livestreaming, rather than going down traditional media avenues", whether there "was a concern an older generation of All Blacks fans was potentially missing out" and whether "the organisation was deliberately targeting social media to capture a younger audience".In reply, chief communications officer Paul Stevens said: "How fans engage with rugby has accelerated over the last few years."Traditional media and content creators now co-exist, and they support each other. Journalists and broadcasters bring depth, analysis and storytelling, and they remain central to how New Zealanders follow rugby."Many content creators build their storylines on journalists' work and they add an immediacy that lets fans feel closer to the team in real time. You'll now commonly see influencers and content creators attending media opportunities with the Black Ferns and All Blacks."He added: "We're really supportive of players connecting directly with fans."A player's brand is built through many things working together - social media, traditional media, broadcast, and what they do on and off the field. We're supporting our athletes to make the most of all of that and to build their own star power."Budge said he hadn't forgotten the traditional media either and was aware that was where most rugby fans still got their news."The traditional is important for us," he said. "There's no question that our traditional rugby viewer still tunes into the 6 o'clock news... but if we don't start engaging with the teenagers up [in age], we're going to have problems down the line."I see no reason why it can't be both. If I look at how Ardie's announcement rolled out over the week - it built through traditional media and... then it went into that announcement and it still made the TV news that night, it still made the written press the following day."Patrick Tuipulotu celebrates the Blues' Super Rugby Pacific grand final victory over the Chiefs at Eden Park in 2024.Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nzThe cost of going directNo doubt some among the mainstream media are annoyed at the developments - indeed some made their feelings known recently to New Zealand Rugby about not getting access to Savea after his Blues announcement - but are there really any downsides?Potentially, yes, says Dr Sarah Wymer, a senior lecturer in the Sport Leadership and Management team at Auckland's University of Technology, but they can be managed.Wymer, who specialises in social media in sport, tells RNZ: "You do have to have a thick skin. When it's live and you've got 13,000 comments coming in... it's harder to moderate a live chat."However, she says the influence of Savea's livestream cannot be underestimated."It could easily have been an Instagram graphic and a couple of lines, but it was so much more. Iit took 40 minutes [into the livestream] to get to that announcement and it was focused on that two-way communication."Social media is often placed as a media for two-way communication, but often athletes using it are very one way."Fans got to spend time with him and they could see his personality. They got to be involved in the conversation, which brought so much more value."Dr Wymer adds: "Rugby in New Zealand needs more athletes with personalities. I think that's why rugby league has become so big and popular."It's because it has athletes that people feel an association with and feel close to. A lot of people now follow the athlete first and then the team."Back to Savea's livestream.Ardie Savea and brother Julian - pictured after a match for Moana Pasifika at North Harbour Stadium last year.Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nzWhat's your club team in Auckland?"Mahurangi Rugby Club [in Warkworth, coached by brother Julian]," Savea says before adding: "Shout out to the head coach. Not."What's your relationship with Jason Holland like?"I've worked with Jase quite a bit and to see the way he's coaching. I think he did awesome at the Canes last year."That was a real testament to him and it was something that excites me to keep my game fresh."Former All Blacks assistant coach Jason Holland will take charge of the Blues for the 2027 season.Alan Lee / www.photosport.nzWill you move full-time to Auckland?"Yes, but my family [wife Saskia and three children Kobe, Keeon and Kove] will stay in Wellington and commute, due to school."Was the NRL an option?"(laughs) Nah, NRL wasn't an option."What do you want to achieve at the Blues?"Obviously, we want to win games and want to win the [championship], but I want to experience a different culture. I want to add and grow, and help the boys win games on the field and win off the field too."Was the beef between Moana and the Blues ever real, and did it factor into your decision?"I think there was, but that's sport and that's why you play. You build a knot in your gut against another team."Yeah, it was real, but you move on and get past that. Moana's not here, so now there's only one team in the 09."What are you doing in 2028?"I'm not too sure. I can't tell you now, but I will tell you guys probably in a similar way."Was a return to the Hurricanes (for whom he played 131 games) ever an option?"This was something that I wasn't sure I wanted to talk about, because I didn't want to disrespect anyone or flame any fires, but the honest truth is that, bless the Blues, they were the only option. They came to the table, showed me love and showed me care."I didn't get anything from anyone else."Why only one year?"Because my contract with New Zealand Rugby finishes in 2027 and I don't know what I'm going to do post that."Former All Blacks wing Joe Rokocoko in try-scoring mode in a Bledisloe Cup test in 2003.Andrew Cornaga/PhotosportWho were your favourite players growing up?"Joe Rokocoko and Ma'a Nonu. Hence why I do a dive when I score a try - I always mimic Joe Roks."Obviously Ma'a was at the Blues too [after a similarly long stint at Hurricanes]."Say what you like about the format for Savea's announcement, but his answers were probably more revealing than had he been sitting behind a table in front of a wall of cameras and microphones.The platform highlights his personality - which clearly does not lack complexity or self-awareness.Savea is about to finish."I appreciate the Blues for allowing us to do this. They've been open-hearted around my creative mind and the creative people I have around me."I also like the Blues for the swagger and the ability for players to be themselves. I know I might rub some people up the wrong way."