All Blacks call-up a fourth non-RWC pick ahead of clash with Boks

Rookie second row Josh Lord has been called up by All Blacks Coach Ian Foster to reinforce the team’s waning lock options ahead of their pre-World Cup encounter against the Springboks later this month at Twickenham.

Lord has proved himself as a versatile lock in recent seasons and at 2.02m has impressed with his lineout work and with ball in hand.

Foster had already added halfback Brad Weber, loose forward Samipeni Finau, and hooker George Bell for the upcoming match against the Springboks, but injury has forced him to dip into fringe stocks once more.

An update from the All Blacks on Friday confirmed that Lord – who plays for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and who was a member of the Rugby Championship squad but narrowly missed World Cup selection – would now be integrated into the camp for the week leading to the Twickenham fixture.

? UPDATE | Josh Lord joins the squad for our Test match against the Springboks at Twickenham. Lord replaces the injured George Bell.#AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/QNGtLlkNgQ

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 11, 2023

Lord’s addition comes in lieu of injured Canterbury hooker Bell.

Although World Cup squads are restricted to 33 players, it’s anticipated that some fringe players will be kept on standby in case of injuries. Lord’s inclusion, albeit replacing a hooker, makes sense in the context of senior lock Brodie Retallick’s knee injury which will likely see him miss New Zealand’s initial World Cup games.

Although disappointed to have missed the World Cup cut, Lord will no doubt be eager to play his part in the fixture against South Africa, a fixture that’s a potential money-spinner for both nations as well as a final preparatory trial before the World Cup in France.

The 22-year-old has participated in three All Blacks tests, most recently contributing to the 41-12 win over Argentina in July. Despite being excluded from the World Cup squad initially, Lord’s summoning for the Twickenham encounter suggests he’s very much next off the rank in the All Blacks’ engine room.

After first making his provincial debut for Taranaki in 2019, Josh Lord was called into the Chiefs wider training squad in 2020 and then the full squad this year. He made his Sky Super Rugby debut against the Crusaders in 2021 and played five matches.

Lord plays both his provincial and Super Rugby alongside current All Blacks lock Tupou Vaa’i. Hailing from the small township of Owhango in the central North Island, Lord attended Hamilton Boys’ High School and first came onto the national radar with the University of Waikato Under 20 side as well as the New Zealand Under 20 team in 2018.