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Du’Plessis Kirifi given captaincy as All Blacks XV name team for Munster

Du'Plessis Kirifi of Wellington talks to his teammates after winning the Bunnings Warehouse NPC Semi Final match between Wellington and Waikato at Sky Stadium, on October 19, 2024, in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Wellington Lions and Hurricanes flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi will captain the All Blacks XV during their Northern Tour, while Harry Plumer serves as a vice-captain for this weekend’s clash with Munster at Thomond Park.

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Kirifi led Wellington to National Provincial Championship (NPC) glory last weekend with an unforgettable 23-20 win over Bay of Plenty in extra-time. With the scores locked at 20-all, the match was ultimately decided by a 93rd-minute penalty goal from Callum Harkin.

For the second time in three seasons, Kirifi had the privilege of lifting the NPC trophy in triumph before immediately turning around to celebrate with the Lions. The openside flanker was among the standouts in that Final, with an especially notable effort on the defensive side of the ball.

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With experience as an All Blacks XV representative after starting in the No. 7 jumper against a Japan XV last year, Kirifi has been bestowed the honour of captaining the side. It was announced this week that the backrower will lead the team during the two-match Northern Tour.

“Du’Plessis has experience in the All Blacks XV environment and is a natural leader who holds mana within the team,” coach Clayton McMillan said in a statement.

“Harry had an outstanding Super Rugby Pacific season and has been in the All Blacks squad this year so his leadership will be immense in attack.

“We’ve had a short lead in to this first match, the team is a blend of experience with younger rising talent. The players are all out to showcase their skills and make the most of the opportunity to play on an international scale, representing New Zealand.

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“It’s a proud moment for players and their whanau.”

All Black George Gower will line up in the front row alongside Crusaders teammate Brodie McAlister and Chiefs enforcer George Dyer. Isaia Walker-Leawere joins Netherlands-born All Blacks hopeful Fabian Holland in the second row.

Rounding out the forward pack is Oliver Haig at blindside flanker, with captain Kirifi lining up on the other side of the scrum. Hurricanes and Hawke’s Bay backrower Devan Flanders has been given the nod to start in the No. 8 jumper.

All Blacks duo Finlay Christie and Harry Plummer will link up in the halves, while Quinn Tupaea and AJ Lam line up in the midfield. The rest of the backline is exciting, with Kini Naholo and Chay Fihaki named on the wings, while Shaun Stevenson starts out the back.

This match is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 pm GMT on Saturday evening, and 6:30 am NZDT on Sunday morning for those in New Zealand. The famed Thomond Prak in Limerick will host the intriguing clash.

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All Blacks XV to take on Munster

  1. George Bower* (Crusaders / Otago)
  2. Brodie McAlister (Crusaders / Canterbury)
  3. George Dyer (Chiefs / Waikato)
  4. Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hurricanes / Hawke’s Bay)
  5. Fabian Holland (Highlanders / Otago)
  6. Oliver Haig (Highlanders / Otago)
  7. Du’Plessis Kirifi – Captain (Hurricanes / Wellington)
  8. Devan Flanders (Hurricanes / Hawke’s Bay)
  9. Finlay Christie* (Blues / Tasman)
  10. Harry Plummer – Vice-Captain* (Blues / Auckland)
  11. Kini Naholo (Hurricanes / Taranaki)
  12. Quinn Tupaea* (Chiefs / Waikato)
  13. AJ Lam (Blues / Auckland)
  14. Chay Fihaki (Crusaders / Canterbury)
  15. Shaun Stevenson* (Chiefs / North Harbour)

Replacements

  1. Bradley Slater (Chiefs / Taranaki)
  2. Xavier Numia (Hurricanes / Wellington)
  3. Marcel Renata (Blues / Auckland)
  4. Naitoa Ah Kuoi (Chiefs / Bay of Plenty)
  5. Corey Kellow (Crusaders / Canterbury)
  6. Noah Hotham* (Crusaders / Tasman)
  7. Josh Jacomb (Chiefs / Taranaki)
  8. Ruben Love* (Hurricanes / Wellington)

*Denotes capped All Blacks player

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Comments

10 Comments
D
DS 19 days ago

That's a competitive team that would give the A team a fright? Kirifi has had an AB run and didn't make the impression many thought he would. He is a dynamo and super hyped but is that enough at the very top level? Being an AB 7 invites microscopic inspection and an inevitable comparison to MJ or McCaw - ask Sam Cane.

J
JW 19 days ago

Good good, whens the ABs on, after or next day?

T
TI 20 days ago

One would think he’d get a look by the AB’s selectors.

J
Jacinda 20 days ago

Rather watch these guys than the first team

A
Andrew Nichols 20 days ago

Great little dynamo....and thats the problem. To be an international hed need to be at least 5 cm plus taller. No room for tiddlers in a modern lineout.

J
JWH 20 days ago

Should be in the ABs over Cane next season

A
Andrew Nichols 20 days ago

Too short to replace Cane. Lakais the future with Luke J on the bench. Ollie Mathis is another up and comer.

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JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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