All Blacks team: Winners and losers as Scott Robertson shows his ‘ruthless side’ while returning forward deserves chance after ‘wretched luck’
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and dropped back-rower Simon Parker.
Following Scott Robertson’s team announcement for the All Blacks’ international clash against Scotland at Murrayfield, we select our winners and losers.
Winners
Wallace Sititi
Has struggled to find his form so far this season after injury, but it all came together when coming off the bench in the Ireland contest. Sititi looked back to his best as the back-rower produced an inspirational shift in the final quarter to turn the match around in Chicago.
Robertson will hope that, having rewarded that performance with a start, Sititi will manage to repeat that effort at Murrayfield. While they lose the height of Simon Parker, the 23-year-old is an excellent lineout forward despite his shorter stature, so they don’t lose too much there.
Leicester Fainga’anuku
Has slotted back seamlessly into the All Blacks set-up after 18 months in France. Fainga’anuku impressed in his first game back against Australia before shifting to the bench for the Ireland encounter. However, an injury to Jordie Barrett saw him come on early and feature in his best position at centre, alongside Quinn Tupaea.
Fainga’anuku certainly made the most of the opportunity, playing a vital role in the come-from-behind triumph where his physicality and skills created chances for New Zealand. It will be fascinating to see if he can back it up at Murrayfield this weekend.
Josh Lord
Like Fainga’anuku, the lock has benefited from an injury to a Barrett, with captain Scott the other unfortunate brother to miss out this weekend. Lord was another early arrival at Soldier Field but he produced an outstanding effort in the victory.
On paper, the relatively callow nature of the second-row partnership between him and Fabian Holland might concern All Blacks fans but, if the Test last Saturday is anything to go by, they will have nothing to worry about.
Sam Darry
Had a breakthrough 2024, making his Test debut and earning a number of caps for New Zealand, but a long-term injury set him back in 2025. Darry missed the entirety of the Super Rugby Pacific campaign, but he has proven his fitness in the NPC and returns to the match-day squad.
Of course, injuries to Tupou Vaa’i, Patrick Tuipulotu and the aforementioned skipper, Barrett, has provided him with this opportunity, but it only seems fair after he endured his own wretched luck earlier in the year which dropped him down the pecking order.
Billy Proctor
Robertson could have brought him back at 13 but, after Fainga’anuku’s impact, he was never going to get in over the Crusaders powerhouse. However, Proctor has been given a spot on the bench ahead of Rieko Ioane and Anton Lienert-Brown.
It is still a concerning drift down the pecking order, with Fainga’anuku and Tupaea now ahead of him in the race for that outside centre position, but Proctor at least gets an opportunity to prove his worth at Murrayfield, providing he gets on of course.
Du’Plessis Kirifi
Was involved in much of the All Blacks’ early Tests of 2025, featuring in every match of the France series and three of the first four Rugby Championship encounters, but Kirifi hasn’t been seen since they suffered that humiliation to the Springboks in Wellington.
The openside is obviously a very different player to Parker but Robertson evidently wants that extra fetching option, particularly with Scotland generally very good over the ball. It is a big chance for Kirifi to put himself back in the All Blacks frame.
Losers
Simon Parker
After some underwhelming displays, as well as Sititi’s impact in the latter stages last weekend, we could have seen him dropping to the bench, but Robertson has shown his ruthless side by jettisoning the back-rower from the squad altogether.
There is still plenty of upside to Parker’s game and his frame and skills fit what is expected of the modern day blindside, but he has not quite found the required level just yet. He will surely get another opportunity at some point but he will have to work his way back up.
Injured Barrett brothers
A setback for the All Blacks and the players themselves with their respective injuries depriving New Zealand of both quality and experience this weekend. The two that came in for them last Saturday, Fainga’anuku and Lord, did a fine job, but Scotland will no doubt look to take advantage of the loss of those key players.
Rieko Ioane
Given his versatility, we expected him to be named on the bench, but they have instead opted for Proctor as Fainga’anuku can move to wing should either Leroy Carter or Caleb Clarke go down injured. It does now beg the question as to where Robertson sees the Leinster-bound speedster in the pecking order.
He could well get a chance against Wales but, if not, Ioane simply needs to focus on finding his form in Ireland before taking that back to New Zealand next year. The All Blacks boss will certainly be watching closely because, if he does struggle, that will leave his Test future in the balance.
Anton Lienert-Brown
Like Ioane, the Chiefs centre could have been an option for the bench, but Lienert-Brown very much finds himself out in the cold at the moment. He is now the wrong side of 30 and probably needs a big stroke of luck or to find some career-best form next year if he is to get himself back in the picture.
Samipeni Finau and Luke Jacobson
Two more Chiefs who find themselves on the sidelines. Jacobson in particular is the ideal bench option as he covers six, seven and eight, but he has not been involved at all this year. His one Test chance – against France in the final match of the series – was dashed due to an injury in the warm-up and he has not been seen since.
If he was to come back in then it would have been this weekend, given the decision to drop Parker, and you could say the same about Finau. Robertson has been desperate to find that big blindside flanker but none of them have particularly convinced, which is perhaps why the head coach has reverted back to Sititi at six.
