All Blacks squad: Winners and losers as Scott Robertson rewards newbies’ ‘superb form’ while ‘all-action’ Crusaders star overlooked
Hurricanes flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi, Crusaders back-row Ethan Blackadder and All Blacks skipper Scott Barrett.
Following the announcement of the All Blacks’ 33-man squad for their upcoming three-Test series against France in New Zealand, we select our winners and losers.
The All Blacks and Les Bleus kick off the series on Saturday, July 5 at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin before they head to Sky Stadium in Wellington for the second Test one week later.
The eagerly anticipated series will then reach its conclusion on Saturday, July 19 at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton.
So without further ado, here are our winners and losers from Scott Robertson‘s All Blacks squad.
Winners
Uncapped quintet
Timoci Tavatavanawai, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Fabian Holland, Ollie Norris and Brodie McAlister are the five new players in the All Blacks squad and it’s fair to say that Tavatavanawai, Kirifi and Holland’s selections were not surprising as all three have displayed superb form throughout the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
Although the Highlanders finished the season at the bottom of the Super Rugby Pacific table, it was not through a lack of effort from star centre Tavatavanawai and hard working lock Holland, who were amongst the tournament’s leading players in both the attacking (Tavatavanawai) and defensive (Holland) statistics.
Meanwhile, Kirifi has been at the forefront of the Hurricanes’ onslaught for several seasons now and was superb during their recent campaign. He is particularly dangerous at the breakdowns and there’s been speculation that Robertson could use him in a similar way that the Springboks utilise Kwagga Smith off the bench to provide energy during the latter stages of Tests.
The other two newbies in the squad – Norris and McAlister – might not have been as spectacular with their contributions for the Chiefs but both have been superb in the execution of their core duties at Super Rugby level and will be hoping to replicate that form in the Test arena.
Scott Barrett
There was plenty of speculation about Barrett‘s spot in the All Blacks side and whether he should be captaining the three-time world champions after he delivered some underwhelming performances for the Crusaders during the early stages of Super Rugby Pacific.
However, the 31-year-old soon regained his form and proved to be a vital cog in the Crusaders machine and was one of the key figures during the Christchurch-based outfit’s triumphant campaign.
Although he did not captain the Crusaders, Barrett came to the fore with several outstanding performances at coalface of his team’s forward effort and Robertson repaid his faith in the player by handing him the All Blacks captaincy again.
Quinn Tupaea
The Chiefs midfielder has already won 14 Test caps but has not represented the All Blacks since 2022 as he spent the entire 2023 season on the sidelines after sustaining a serious knee injury during a Bledisloe Cup Test in Melbourne three years ago.
Tupaea was the victim of an awful cleanout from Wallabies second-row Darcy Swain in that encounter but after making a successful return to action last year, he returned to his best form in Super Rugby Pacific this year and has been rewarded with an All Blacks recall.
Tupaea is brilliant with ball in hand and was at the forefront of the Chiefs’ attack this season as he made the second most carries (189) during Super Rugby Pacific and was in 10th spot for clean breaks (13).
Anton Lienert-Brown
Despite being sidelined for the past six weeks with a collarbone injury, the veteran centre has been included in Robertson’s squad and will be hoping to make his return to action at some stage during the series against France.
The 30-year-old has already represented the All Blacks in 84 Tests and his experience must have played a big part in his selection.
When fit, Lienert-Brown seldom lets the All Blacks down and he will be hoping to hit the ground running when he returns to action.
Scott Robertson
The All Blacks head coach must be commended for naming a strong squad who should give a good account of themselves against what is expected to be an understrength France squad.
Where Robertson deserves plenty of credit is for the continuity which he has shown in his selections as he has named 25 players who were part of the All Blacks’ 35-man squad for their 2024 end-of-year tour to the northern hemisphere.
The only changes from Robertson’s squad for the 2024 Autumn Nations Series are his five uncapped players along with Tupaea, Chiefs back-row Luke Jacobson and Crusaders scrum-half Noah Hotham.
Robertson’s consistency in selection should bode well for the All Blacks’ fortunes against Les Bleus and if he continues in this vein they should do well during the rest of the international season as well.
Losers
Ethan Blackadder
The 30-year-old has gained a reputation for being injury prone and once again he had some setbacks this year but when he was fit he was one of the Crusaders’ stars as he played a leading role in their outstanding run to the Super Rugby Pacific title.
The loose forward’s all-action style of play made him a valuable player to the Crusaders cause and he led the way on attack and defence, especially during the latter stages of the competition.
Blackadder was a willing ball carrier whenever he was in action but it was his defensive efforts which caught the eye and he showed his class in the Crusaders’ semi-final triumph over Blues when he emptied the tank with a whopping 31 tackles made in that encounter.
Leroy Carter
With Mark Tele’a no longer in the picture for Test selection, Carter was in the running to take his spot in the All Blacks squad after he made his mark with several outstanding attacking performances for the Chiefs en route to the Super Rugby Pacific final.
Carter’s brilliance on attack saw him finishing in joint third position for tries scored (9) in Super Rugby Pacific while he also finished in sixth spot for defenders beaten (44).
David Havili
As the former Crusaders head coach, Robertson has often been accused of showing a selection bias towards his former side but just like Blackadder, Havili also misses out an All Blacks call-up despite shining at Super Rugby Pacific level in recent weeks.
Havili has been solid on attack and defence throughout the season and was the decision from Crusaders head coach Rob Penney to appoint the 30-year-old as the men from Christchurch’s first backline captain was a masterstroke as Havili made his mark with excellent leadership throughout the season.
Mark Tele’a
After being crowned World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year following the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, big things were expected of the Blues flyer and he did show that he has what it takes to succeed at international level as he went on to score 13 tries in 19 All Blacks Tests.
However, it was announced earlier this year that he has signed a contract with a Japanese club which meant the 28-year-old’s international career was finished as New Zealand Rugby’s policy on overseas-based players prevents them from selecting players for the All Blacks who do not ply their trade on home soil.
AJ Lam
Just like the more experienced Havili, Blues star Lam also made his mark with several excellent performances in midfield for the Auckland-based outfit but with Tupaea selected as one of the centres he too misses out.
Lam initially made his mark as a speedy winger during the early stages of his career but has impressed since he was shifted to inside centre where he has combined brilliantly with All Blacks outside centre Rieko Ioane.
The 26-year-old has great vision on attack while he also reads the game well defensively. If he continues in this vein, it’s only a matter of time before he realises his All Blacks dream.
Injured players
Injuries always have an impact on selections and when announcing his squad, Robertson revealed that Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Sam Darry, Peter Lakai, Stephen Perofeta and Asafo Aumua were not considered as they are currently sidelined.
Hurricanes duo Aumua and Lakai were two players who impressed during last year’s end-of-year tour and also played prominent roles for the Wellington-based outfit throughout their Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
It was a different story for the Blues trio of Tu’ungafasi, Darry and Perofeta as they have seen little action throughout the season. Tu’ungafasi and Darry have not been in action yet this year as they are recovering from respective neck and shoulder injuries while Perofeta is battling to overcome a leg injury.
READ MORE: All Blacks: Scott Robertson names five uncapped players in squad for series against France
