All Blacks to find ‘genuine’ World Cup options in South Africa as Dave Rennie answers Richie Mo’unga and Rieko Ioane questions
All Blacks Rieko Ioane and Richie Mo'unga, inset
The tour to South Africa for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series will give New Zealand’s Dave Rennie genuine answers to the readiness of his players ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The All Blacks head coach has said that the tour is coming at the perfect time as they build towards the tournament in Australia next year and he is eager to see how many of the players react to being in the environment.
Rennie is bound to do some experimenting in South Africa, having already confirmed that the coaching team plans to test a 6-2 bench split against at least one of the United Rugby Championship franchises.
It’s a ploy that hasn’t been trialled by the All Blacks since an Ian Foster-coached side was hammered 35-7 by South Africa at Twickenham in the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
All Blacks’ scrum-half selections and 6-2 bench split
After announcing his 44-man squad on Monday, the head coach fronted the media and addressed several selection calls. One of which was his decision to select just three scrum-halves in his squad in the form of Cam Roigard, Cortez Ratima and Kyle Preston. The former pair featured in all three of New Zealand’s Nations Championship matches in July, with Roigard playing the majority of all three games.
While Rennie confirmed that Chiefs winger Leroy Carter could cover the position from the bench in his team, he explained that Ratima and Preston are lacking game time and would be tasked with playing most of the opening three games against the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls. Therefore, including a fourth number nine would complicate the game time management.
“He may well cover that role; if we wanted to go 6-2 split, having someone who can play nine and play wing gives us a bit more versatility,” Rennie said when asked about the possibility of Carter playing at scrum-half.
“Noah Hotham is the obvious choice as the fourth half-back. If we were to get an injury, then we would bring in a replacement, but Cam has played a lot of footy. We’re keen to get a lot more rugby into the other two boys, and so they will share a big chunk of the load in the first three weeks.”
Richie Mo’unga’s chances of playing in South Africa
The question of Richie Mo’unga then came up again. After signing a deal to return to the Crusaders and New Zealand, the fly-half has been barred from selection until he has played at least one game for Canterbury in the NPC.
This is a self-imposed ruling by NZ Rugby that has denied Rennie the services of one of the best playmakers in the game for the tour to South Africa, for now at least.
“There is a chance,” Rennie responded when asked if Mo’unga could still feature on the tour. “He will play for Canterbury this weekend, and then once he’s done that, if we had an injury at 10, then he’s an option to come in.”
Commenting on the squad selections as a whole, he added: “It’s a lot to do with who we are going to play over the next seven weeks but also with an eye to the future. There are some guys that we want to find out more about and work out whether they are genuine options heading into the World Cup next year.
“So we think having them inside the tent where we can create change, and they have got a chance to impress us, will help with that decision-making. There’s a fair bit of size coming in.”
Rieko Ioane’s position in Rennie’s team
Finally, the fact that Rieko Ioane was listed among the outside backs and not with the midfielders – which was the case under Robertson – did not escape the media in attendance’s eye.
Ioane shot to stardom on the wing for the Blues and then the All Blacks, making his Test debut against the British and Irish Lions out wide. However, he moved into the outside centre role later in his career and partnered Jordie Barrett in the midfield during the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Last year, Robertson shifted the 29-year-old back to the wing during the July internationals before he fell out of favour as the year went on. During his time in Ireland, he played both positions at Leinster and after being initially overlooked by Rennie, he has now been recalled to the Test squad.
So does Rennie see him as a winger in his All Blacks team? “Yes,” the head coach replied. “But obviously his versatility is handy. He played both positions in Ireland this year, and even [Emoni] Narawa can play 13, 14 and 15. Having versatility on a tour like this is important.”