In-form Billy Proctor wary of 'desperate' Moana Pasifika

1News

2 days ago

In-form Hurricanes midfielder Billy Proctor, a man who will have attracted the attention of All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson this season, has displayed an appropriate lightness of touch when considering the visit of Moana Pasifika and former home-town hero Ardie Savea this weekend.
Savea and his men arrive in Wellington for a final-round match on Saturday which will probably decide their season. Should the Blues beat the Waratahs at Eden Park in the afternoon, Moana Pasifika must beat the fourth-placed Hurricanes that evening to qualify for the playoffs for the first time.
Proctor, the 26-year-old who made his Test debut last year and is the form Kiwi centre in Super Rugby, was today asked about former Hurricanes' captain Savea's return to the Cake Tin for the first time since joining Moana Pasifika.
'It will be awesome for him to come back to Wellington,' was Proctor's reply. 'It's his home town and I'm sure the fans will be excited to see him too.
'If you give them the momentum and let their big boys get a roll on, they're going to be hard to stop. We understand they're going to be pretty desperate and have an edge about them after last week. We know they're going to be physical and come down here and be willing to play and throw everything at us.'
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Moana Pasifika's collapse against the Chiefs in Hamilton at the weekend likely makes their final regular season match a must-win but, for all of Moana's breakout performances in 2025, the form book will heavily favour the home side.
Their come-from-behind victory over the Chiefs in Wellington recently gave an indication of their grit and game-breaking ability and there were similar scenes in Brisbane at the weekend when they fought back to beat the Reds in an entertaining 31-27 victory.
'We've secured our spot in the playoffs and that's all you can ask for at this stage of the season,' Proctor said. 'It was our goal at the start of the year to be in the playoffs.
'I think, within this group, we always believed we had the ability to be one of the better teams in the competition.'
Proctor's quiet confidence appears to be well placed.
It's all on the line this weekend for Ardie Savea, the Moana Pasifika skipper and former Hurricane. (Source: Photosport)
In halfback Cam Roigard and No.10 Ruben Love the Hurricanes have one of the form inside back combinations of the competition, with Peter Umaga-Jensen part of an extremely competent midfield operating outside a pack which includes Du'plessis Kirifi, a loose forward at the top of his game.
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After missing the first half of the season with an Achilles injury, Proctor has returned with a vengeance and will be putting pressure on Rieko Ioane for the black No.13 jersey in July.
'I'm pretty happy with where I'm at,' he said. 'It's been, what, four or five games? So I'm finding my feet and feeling pretty good.
'I'm just here to do my best for this team. That's all I can control and all I can worry about.
'Getting a taste of [the All Blacks] last year, it's definitely where I want to be – being in that environment and playing for the best team in New Zealand. I want to be playing international footy, but my focus is on here at the moment.'
The Hurricanes, in fourth place on the table behind the Chiefs, Crusaders and Brumbies, cannot finish any higher but they can finish fifth if they lose and the Reds beat the Drua this weekend.
Such is the Hurricanes' danger factor, the Crusaders will be hoping to beat the Brumbies in Canberra this weekend to avoid Proctor and his men in the quarter-final.
A win for the Crusaders would put them into a quarter-final against the Reds – a far more benign opponent whom they've already beaten this season.
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That would pit the Hurricanes into a playoff against the Brumbies in Canberra – a place where they have already won this year.