Irish import Oli Jager takes a step closer to All Blacks

Irish import Oli Jager has taken a step closer to donning the famous black jersey after being named in a 28-man All Blacks XV touring squad alongside a host of former and would-be Test players.

The side, which includes Damian McKenzie, TJ Perenara, Luke Jacobson and Brad Webber will take on Ireland A and Barbarians in a two-match series this November and Jager has been named as one of five props for the tour.

A product of the renowned Irish rugby nursery Blackrock College, Jager grew up playing schools rugby alongside the likes of Garry Ringrose and Nick Timoney, but his rugby journey took him to New Zealand.

Jager joined the Crusaders International High Performance Unit in 2013 after completing his high school education in Ireland and was signed to a full-time contract at the Crusaders four years later in 2017.

After spending a number of years as an understudy to Owen Franks and Michael Alaalatoa, Jager took over as the Crusaders’ first-choice tighthead prop in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season.

The 27-year-old – who also qualifies to play for England – makes no bones about his desire to become an All Black. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear in the last couple of years that I want to be an All Black,” Jager said back in April. “I’ve put a lot of effort into it, I’ve stayed in New Zealand. This is my sixth year in Super Rugby. I feel like I’ve been here long enough that I really feel part of New Zealand and I really feel like I’ve got a lot of friends in the team.”

Two years earlier, Jager told RugbyPass: “The funny thing about it is you grow up wanting to face the haka and I grew up the exact same way. In the northern hemisphere facing the haka is something you always dream of.

“Obviously being from Ireland, born in England, growing up in the northern hemisphere you hear of everyone coming up from the southern hemisphere to England, Ireland. Everyone in the northern hemisphere has had a couple of players play up there, the Bundee Akis, the (Riki) Fluteys, all those players.

“You never hear really the other way around and it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to have the chance of doing it – but doing it is a whole other story. I feel like I need to get a lot better, really focus my game a lot more. But at the moment to answer your question, I would probably like to see myself as an All Black ahead of Ireland.”