All Blacks team: Five takeaways as Richie Mo’unga ‘at peace’ with comeback and Beauden Barrett ‘cemented’ in position
All Blacks team: Five takeaways as Richie Mo'unga returns and Beauden Barrett start also means snub
Dave Rennie has named his side to take on the Lions in the All Blacks’ midweek match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.
Here are our five takeaways.
The top line
After beating the Springboks 33-16 on Saturday, Rennie has named an entirely new starting XV for the August 25 clash at Ellis Park.
The backline includes Beauden Barrett at full-back, Fehi Fineanganofo and Emoni Narawa on the wings, while Rieko Ioane and Timoci Tavatavanawai make up the midfield.
The big news is that Richie Mo’unga returns at fly-half, and Noah Hotham receives an opportunity at nine.
In the forward pack, Semisi Ta’eiloa starts at number eight, joined by Ethan Blackadder and Wallace Sititi on the flanks. In the second row, Captain Tuipulotu partners Sam Darry, and Pasilo Tosi, Samisoni Taukei’aho and Siale Lauaki form the front row.
Rennie has opted for a 5:3 split on the bench, with recent tour call-ups Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Jamie Hannah among the replacements, alongside Bradley Slater, Saula Ma’u, Peter Lakai, Kyle Preston, Josh Jacomb and Anton Lienert-Brown.
The 140 kg debutant
Saula Ma’u is set to make his debut off the bench. He will take his spot in the front-row to add some real power to the All Blacks scrum. Standing almost two metres tall and weighing roughly 140 kg, he will strike a giant figure when he takes to the field.
All Blacks team: Richie Mo’unga returns as Dave Rennie makes mass changes for Lions showdown
He only joined the squad recently, arriving as a replacement for Ollie Norris after the Chiefs front-rower sustained a cartilage injury in his knee, ruling him out of the series.
Ma’u is known for his abrasive carrying and powerful scrummaging, but is not regarded as the most mobile of props, so his impact is best when limited to the latter stages of the match. He has proved quite the impact player for both Otago and the Highlanders in both the NPC and Super Rugby.
Widespread changes but Test team expected to stay the same
Rieko Ioane and Beauden Barrett have both been selected to start, allowing the highly experienced duo to show Rennie why they should be included in the Test team. But it does mean that, at this time, they’re unlikely to be part of Rennie’s plans for the weekend.
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A solid performance from either player on Tuesday could give them the necessary bump into the full side; however, due to the short turnaround in time, they certainly won’t be looked at as starters – no matter how well they play.
This proves true for the other members of the starting team against the Lions.
Wallace Sititi, Ethan Blackadder, Patrick Tuipulotu and Samisoni Taukei’aho are all players who, certainly in the past, would have considered themselves a ‘probable’ for the main Test squad, but now look on as ‘possibles’. None were selected for the opening round match against the Springboks, and after such an impressive victory at the weekend, they’re all unlikely to expect a call-up come Saturday.
The return of Richie
Richie Mo’unga has finally returned to the All Blacks after three years away from the international game. In fact, his last appearance was in the World Cup final when he kicked two penalties in a one-point loss to the Springboks.
After three years in Japan with Toshiba Brave Lupus, Mo’unga returned to the NPC for Canterbury in August, appearing off the bench to score a try against Auckland in the dying minutes, before then starting in their victory over Otago a week later.
He doesn’t seem to have lost any of his attacking flair, but is aware that the environment he left in 2023 no longer exists.
“I feel like I’m nervous,” he recently told the All Blacks media when first arriving in camp.
“I came through reception to either go down and see the boys or come upstairs to my room, and I chose to come upstairs to my room just because it’s been a while and a lot’s happened since I’ve been gone, so I am nervous.”
On Tuesday, all those nerves will have disappeared, as he takes to the field to do what he’s done on countless occasions for the All Blacks in the past.
“I’m at peace with why I’m here. It’s for a reason,” he concluded with certainty.
Ruben Love had another impressive performance for the All Blacks against the Springboks on Saturday, so Mo’unga won’t expect a return to the Test match squad this coming weekend, but an impressive showing will go a long way to making a successful return to the Test squad.
Barrett’s fall-back to fullback
Rennie has issued a backline filled with try-scorers and athleticism, all backed up by the vastly experienced Beauden Barrett at fullback. He’s possibly not as fast off the mark as he once was, but he remains one of the most physically impressive athletes in the game, even at 35.
His decision-making at fly-half is the one thing that has seen a visible downturn in his later years, and it appears that Rennie is putting a stop to that by cementing him at 15.
Against the Bulls, he was excellent from full-back. Quite the contrast from his game against the Stormers a week prior, when he had been stationed at 10.
Despite being named World Rugby Player of the Year twice while playing at fly-half, his talent now clearly lies elsewhere, and an impressive performance on Tuesday could solidify him as a genuine option behind Damian McKenzie, who has had injury struggles as of late.