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All Blacks squad named for Northern Tour

By Online Editors

08 Oct 2022

(L-R) Nepo Laulala, David Havili, Richie Mo’unga, Anton Lienert-Brown and Brodie Retallick sing the national anthem ahead of the International Test Match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Fiji at FMG Stadium Waikato on July 17, 2021 in Hamilton, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The bulk of the Rugby Championship squad has been retained as the All Blacks set their sights on the Northern Tour whilst a number of players from the Ireland series have returned to the squad.

Props Nepo Laulala and Ofa Tuungafasi along with winger Leicester Fainga’anuku return to Foster’s squad after missing The Rugby Championship following the Ireland series in July.

The squad features the return of 56-Test midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown who has made a successful return to play following shoulder surgery, while Braydon Ennor returns to the fold to boost the midfield depth after injuries to Quinn Tupaea and Jack Goodhue due to injury.

Blues pair Stephen Perofeta and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck have also been named after spending time in-and-out of the All Blacks during the Rugby Championship.

While there is a combined 1362 Test caps across this squad, a number of capped players will be given the opportunity to gain valuable experience on tour with the All Blacks XV.

Coached by Leon MacDonald, the squad is named tomorrow (Monday) and will boost the depth in New Zealand’s talent pool as Rugby World Cup 2023 approaches.

“The Northern Tour is always a highlight in the All Black calendar and this year is no exception,” said Foster.

“With less than a year till the start of the Rugby World Cup, this tour gives us another great opportunity to grow from where we finished the Rugby Championship. Experiencing big Test matches in the north is great preparation for what is to come in France next year.

“The addition of our All Blacks XV team will also help grow this experience across a wider group of players.”

The All Blacks will have a three-day camp in Nelson this week before travelling to the northern hemisphere where they will play Japan, Wales, Scotland and England across four weeks of action.

The 35-strong squad is as follows: (age, Super Rugby club, province, Test caps).

Forwards:

Hookers

Dane Coles (35, Hurricanes / Wellington, 84)
Samisoni Taukei’aho (25, Chiefs / Waikato, 17)
Codie Taylor (31, Crusaders / Canterbury, 72)

Props

George Bower (30, Crusaders / Otago, 19)
Ethan de Groot (24, Highlanders / Southland, 10)
Nepo Laulala (31, Blues / Counties Manukau, 42)
Tyrel Lomax (26, Hurricanes / Tasman, 20)
Fletcher Newell (22, Crusaders / Canterbury, 4)
Ofa Tu’ungafasi (30, Blues / Northland, 48)

Locks

Scott Barrett (28, Crusaders / Taranaki, 55)
Brodie Retallick (31, Chiefs / Hawke’s Bay, 98)
Tupou Vaa’i (22, Chiefs / Taranaki, 15)
Samuel Whitelock (33, Crusaders / Canterbury, 140)

Loose Forwards

Sam Cane – Captain (30, Chiefs / Bay of Plenty, 85)
Shannon Frizell (28, Highlanders / Tasman, 21)
Akira Ioane (27, Blues / Auckland, 19)
Dalton Papali’i (24, Blues / Counties Manukau, 18)
Ardie Savea (28, Hurricanes / Wellington, 67)
Hoskins Sotutu (24, Blues / Counties Manukau, 12)

Backs:

Halfbacks

Finlay Christie (27, Blues / Tasman, 12)
Folau Fakatava (22, Highlanders / Hawke’s Bay, 2)
Aaron Smith (33, Highlanders / Manawatu, 111)

First five-eighths

Beauden Barrett (31, Blues / Taranaki, 109)
Richie Mo’unga (28, Crusaders / Canterbury, 41)
Stephen Perofeta (25, Blues / Taranaki, 1)

Midfielders

Braydon Ennor (25, Crusaders / Canterbury, 5)
David Havili (27, Crusaders / Tasman, 21)
Rieko Ioane (25, Blues / Auckland, 56)
Anton Lienert-Brown (27, Chiefs / Waikato, 56)
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (29, Blues / Auckland, 2)

Outside backs

Jordie Barrett (25, Hurricanes / Taranaki, 45)
Caleb Clarke (23, Blues / Auckland, 11)
Leicester Fainga’anuku (22, Crusaders / Tasman, 2)
Will Jordan (24, Crusaders / Tasman, 21)
Sevu Reece (25, Crusaders / Tasman, 21)

Unavailable for selection due to injury – Ethan Blackadder, Jack Goodhue, Josh Lord, Joe Moody and Quinn Tupaea.

29 OCTOBER – Japan vs All Blacks, 2:50PM (6:50PM NZT), NATIONAL STADIUM, TOKYO
5 NOVEMBER – Wales vs All Blacks, 3:15PM (4:15AM SUNDAY 6 NOVEMBER NZT), PRINCIPALITY STADIUM, CARDIFF
13 NOVEMBER – Scotland v All Blacks 2:15PM (3:15AM MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER NZT), MURRAYFIELD STADIUM, EDINBURGH
19 NOVEMBER – England v All Blacks, 5:30PM (6:30AM SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER NZT), TWICKENHAM, LONDON

-Press Release/NZR/Additional reporting RugbyPass

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Comments

5 Comments

David 803 days ago

how did RTS get selected and prefeta surely there are better players in the NPC at the moment

Connor 804 days ago

Not a world where Braydon Ennor deserves to be going ahead of Damian McKenzie... especially since Jordie should be playing at 12. We finished poorly in the final 20 minutes of both Australia tests and no one in the world suits being an impact player the way McKenzie does. At least ill get to watch him pull the strings for the ABs XV

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Comments on RugbyPass

GrahamVF 11 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

About 500K of those are schoolboys 90% of which will not go on to play club rugby.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 12 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Exactly. Shoo would that it was so easy to develop competitions.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 16 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

SA wealthy? Compared to which countries. The economy is in tatters unemployment is at record low numbers and you think SA has money to spend on rugby development -0 and remember the SARU was technically bankrupt and was only saved by the COVID tour of the B&I Lions. No Sa doesn't have spare cash lying round for rugby development and given the resources SARU is doing just fine.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 20 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

South African domestic rugby is in great shape. Four top tier franchises fed by a series of competitions ranging from national schools competitions through Varsity Cup to Currie Cup and then to top four franchises is a model Australia would do well to follow. SA should never have more than four top domestic teams.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 24 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

That might be the best spin off from SA's involvement north of the line.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 25 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Of course not Nick 😉

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 29 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

We have our own theories about The Sharks. Plumtree is a good coach but he has not done anywhere near the best he could with the talent and money he has at his disposal and it doesn't help to have a marquee director of rugby who has spent by far the majority of his career playing and coaching sevens.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 33 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Don't worry - you'll win again soon then you'll feel a lot better. Right now get on with your SH comps and we'll get on with being barely the best in the world.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 37 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

JW you really have no idea of how Africa works. It will take generations not decades no matter how much SA puts into it. The poverty in Africa is something that is obviously beyond your understanding. Do you think the governments of impoverished nations are going to watch happily as rugby pours massive investments into infrastructure to promote what is essentially a white western game? And SA was trying hard to develop the game in Africa until the African vote blocked our "23 bid after the independent consultants to the RFU voted unanimously for SA? The Confederation of African Rugby virtually excluded South Africa.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 46 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Nick, our association with Argentina Rugby runs very long and deep. We are exploring reciprocal two/three test tours in the future - and even more games at neutral venues such as in Europe where a lot of both teams have players anyway.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 50 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

"has SA actually EVER helped to develop another union to maturity like NZ has with Japan," yes - Argentina. You obviously don't know the history of Argentinian rugby. SA were touring there on long development tours in the 1950's

We continued the Junior Bok tours to the Argentine through to the early 70's

My coach at Grey High was Giepie Wentzel who toured Argentine as a fly half. He told me about how every Argentinian rugby club has pictures of Van Heerden and Danie Craven on prominent display. Yes we have developed a nation far more than NZ has done for Japan. And BTW Sa players were playing and coaching in Japan long before the Kiwis arrived. Fourie du Preez and many others were playing there 15 years ago.

"Isaac Van Heerden's reputation as an innovative coach had spread to Argentina, and he was invited to Buenos Aires to help the Pumas prepare for their first visit to South Africa in 1965.[1][2] Despite Argentina faring badly in this tour,[2] it was the start of a long and happy relationship between Van Heerden and the Pumas. Izak van Heerden took leave from his teaching post in Durban, relocated to Argentina, learnt fluent Spanish, and would revolutionise Argentine play in the late 1960s, laying the way open for great players such as Hugo Porta.[1][2] Van Heerden virtually invented the "tight loose" form of play, an area in which the Argentines would come to excel, and which would become a hallmark of their playing style. The Pumas repaid the initial debt, by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park, and emerged as one of the better modern rugby nations, thanks largely to the talents of this Durban schoolmaster.[1]"

After the promise made by Junior Springbok manager JF Louw at the end of a 12-game tour to Argentina in 1959 – ‘I will do everything to ensure we invite you to tour our country’ – there were concerns about the strength of Argentinian rugby. South African Rugby Board president Danie Craven sent coach Izak van Heerden to help the Pumas prepare and they repaid the favour by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Which country do you think was instrumental in developing rugby in Argentina which then spun off into the rest of Latin South America? South Africa was touring Argentine in the 50's with their Junior Bok side on three months development tours. And they didn't do it to cultivare players for the Boks. Regarding Africa you are not taking into account that South Africa itself is an emerging nation. The rugby union has prioritised the development of rugby in South African rural communities with outstanding success.

It has taken 15 years to build the participation of rugby both in playing and watching. For South Africa on its own to build a viable international rugby competition in africa will take generations - not decades. New Zealanders seem to resent the fact that SA has doubled the income of the URC since their inclusion. If New Zealand Rugby hadn't insisted on have a disproportionate slice of the pie in Super Rugby, SA might not have fled the coop.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

I think this debate is avoiding the elephant in the room. Money. According to the URC chief executive Martin Anayi, the inclusion of SA teams has doubled the income of the URC. There is no doubt that the SA teams benefit from the URC but so do the other countries' teams. Perhaps it doesn't affect a club like Leinster but the less well off clubs benefit hugely from South African games' TV income. I don't think SA continued inclusion in the URC is a slam dunk. They don't hold all the cards by a long way - but they do have an ace in the hole. The Ace of Diamonds.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

How Wallace Sititi humbly reacted to All Blacks Player of the Year honour