English rugby star Tom Savage has made the surprising revelation that performing his team’s haka makes him more anxious than facing off against some of the world’s toughest players. 

The 35-year-old Londoner is the only European player at Moana Pasifika – a Pacific Island heritage-inspired franchise – and is now in his second season with the Super Rugby club.

While the towering second-rower is getting used to taking on All Blacks stars and other rugby heavyweights, it’s the pre-match hakas – Tau Moana and Fa’avae – that terrify him.

‘I’m more nervous about both of those than I am about any aspect of the game,’ Savage told The Telegraph.

‘In this team, you’re either from the Pacific Islands, or you’ve been born and raised in New Zealand, and they have been doing it from day dot. 

Tom Savage (pictured leading out Moana Pasifika) admits that performing his team’s haka makes him more anxious than facing off against some of the world’s toughest players

Savage is the only European player at Moana Pasifika – a Pacific Island heritage-inspired Super Rugby franchise

‘My eldest is now five years old, and she’s already doing some form of haka at school.

‘I think being a bit older now, I don’t get embarrassed. I’m prepared just to put the work in. I’m not going to be as good as those boys at it. 

‘If you watch me, I might be a beat or two out and I might get the odd action wrong, but just as long as I’m trying as hard as I can I don’t think anyone’s going to have any issues with that. 

‘It is awesome to be a part of, but it is incredibly surreal.’

Savage says he’s been welcomed into the team since making the shift in 2024.

The Moana players have even given him the honorary title of ‘Tomasi’.

‘The demographic of the team is a lot of Samoan and Tongan players, but there’s Fijians and guys from Cook Islands and Niue. And then there’s me. That is the make-up of the team,’ he said.

‘Tana Umaga, the head coach, is trying to build an identity that we are unapologetically Pacific Islanders.’

Savage’s footy teammates have given him the honorary title of ‘Tomasi’

The Englishman is now in his second season with the Super Rugby club

The team’s mission is to represent Pacific Island rugby talent and culture, but is allowed to include a limited number of players who don’t have Pacific Island heritage. 

‘We work on our cultural roots on a daily basis,’ Savage says. 

‘These guys are playing for where they’re from, which is a super powerful thing, but, fundamentally, we are still a rugby team and anything that was new or different to me very much just became the norm after a week or two.’