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International

Ruben Love called into the All Blacks squad for The Rugby Championship

By Ben Smith

116 days ago

Ruben Love looks on during a New Zealand All Blacks training session at NZCIS on July 02, 2024 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Hurricanes fullback Ruben Love has officially been named in the 36-man All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship as the only uncapped player.

The 23-year-old was drafted in to train with the All Blacks during the July series as one of eight extra players, but has now been named as one of six outside backs in the squad.

Joining Love in the outside backs is returning Crusader and All Black wing Will Jordan, who has made a full recovery from shoulder surgery.

In the midfield group, David Havili brings his versatility to the squad as one of five named, along with standout rookie Billy Proctor, established duo Jordie Barrett and Rieko, and veteran Anton Lienert-Brown.

After suffering a knee injury in the first Test against England, TJ Perenara is one of three halfbacks along with rookie pair Noah Hotham and Cortez Ratima. Blues halfback Finlay Christie has been dropped from the squad.

Former captain Sam Cane returns to the squad after training with the group throughout July as one of seven loose forwards picked.

Sam Darry is one of four locks, while Chiefs lock Josh Lord has been named as injury cover with captain Scott Barrett expected to miss the opening matches after undergoing surgery.

All Blacks 36-man squad for the Rugby Championship:

Forwards (20)

Hookers
Asafo Aumua (27 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 9)
Codie Taylor (33 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 87)
George Bell (22 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 1)

Props
Ethan De Groot (26 / Highlanders / Southland / 25)
Tyrel Lomax (28 / Hurricanes / Tasman / 34)
Fletcher Newell (24 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 16)
Pasilio Tosi (26 / Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty / 1)
Ofa Tu’ungafasi (32 / Blues / Northland / 59)
Tamaiti Williams (23 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 8)

Locks
Scott Barrett (30 / Crusaders / Taranaki / 72) (Captain)
Tupou Vaa’i (24 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 28)
Patrick Tuipulotu (31 / Blues / Auckland / 45)
Sam Darry (24 / Blues / Canterbury / 1)

Loose Forwards
Ethan Blackadder (29 / Crusaders / Tasman / 11)
Sam Cane (32 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty / 95)
Samipeni Finau (25 / Chiefs / Waikato / 3)
Luke Jacobson (27 / Chiefs / Waikato / 21)
Dalton Papali’i (26 / Blues / Counties Manukau / 34)
Ardie Savea (30 / Moana Pasifika / Wellington / 84) (Vice Captain)
Wallace Sititi (21 / Chiefs / North Harbour / 1)

Backs (16)

Halfbacks
Noah Hotham (21 / Crusaders / Tasman / 1)
TJ Perenara (32 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 81)
Cortez Ratima (23 / Chiefs / Waikato / 2)

First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett (33 / Blues / Taranaki / 126)
Damian McKenzie (29 / Chiefs / Waikato / 50)

Mid-fielders
Jordie Barrett (27 / Hurricanes / Taranaki / 60) (Vice Captain)
David Havili (29 / Crusaders / Tasman / 27)
Rieko Ioane (27 / Blues / Auckland / 71)
Anton Lienert-Brown (29 / Chiefs / Waikato / 73)
Billy Proctor (25 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 1)

Outside backs
Caleb Clarke (25 / Blues / Auckland / 21)
Will Jordan (26 / Crusaders / Tasman / 31)
Ruben Love (23 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 0)*
Stephen Perofeta (27 / Blues / Taranaki / 5)
Sevu Reece (27 / Crusaders / Southland / 26)
Mark Tele’a (27 / Blues / North Harbour/ 11)

INJURY COVER: Josh Lord (23 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 4)

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Comments

59 Comments

dk 115 days ago

Great to see Havili selected. Easily our most talented midfielder.Well done Love and Hotham too. Very pleasing squad.

BH 115 days ago

Emoni Narawa can thank Jordie Barrett for losing his spot by not passing him the ball after a break against Fiji.

But seriously I don’t know how they dropped a player like Narawa after a 20 min game against Fiji when the game was looser than a goose and most players were making mistakes.

He had a great season for the Chiefs in Super Rugby with equal-3rd for tries scored.

Toaster 116 days ago

It’s fine having Cane in the squad
A good move as he’s available

But please don’t start him
Maybe not even in the 23
The guy has hardly played

DS 116 days ago

Foster's squad delivered wins in the Rugby Championship and the Bledisloe EVERY year so that is the bar set for Robertson.

DS 116 days ago

Picking on form apparently? So how did Akira and Hoskins miss out while Havili and Blackadder are nailed on with every squad?

SadersMan 116 days ago

Great team, for the now, with a few tasty options v Argie. Building nicely.

B 116 days ago

a stable enough AB squad to deliver a home advantage 2-0 whitewash of Los Pumas…for mine the moderate opposition the AB’s will face might have the negative effect of making those who weren't playing well look good…anyways….Go the AB’s….

CO 116 days ago

First clear sign being a Cantab is a big assist. Findlay Christie hasn't done much wrong and punted for Hotham.

Meanwhile Quinn Tupaea and A J Lam younger, bigger, faster and stronger than Havili.

Havili has no midfield penetration and gets bullied, at 29 surely not the answer in 2027 so why persevere?

Andrew Nichols 116 days ago

David Havili…The 2020s Shayne Philpott. RIP

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Comments on RugbyPass

Bull Shark 6 minutes ago

Sadness pervades as Gatland stands on the brink of Welsh exit

Not true. I'm a South African and I absolutely loved seeing the Wallabies beating England. And miss the Wallabies of old who were a devastating force with some of the greatest players of all time.

I hear quite regularly that Australians prefer Aussie rules, league, and cricket over rugby.

So again, seems like Australians are to blame for the state of the game in Australia?

16 Go to comments

Bull Shark 14 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

I find Ben Smith to be an emotionally driven hysteric. So I question everything he writes.

He launched into the year about the ABs being back this year. For a "journalist" his opinions are based on the flavour of the month.

He's at least gone quiet about how sh1t the boks actually are. Although I suspect he's working on an outrageous article to that effect as we speak, to drive engagement after the end of the Autumn series, as we'll all be taking a break until the 6N.

22 Go to comments

Chesterfield 16 minutes ago

Michael Hooper reacts to Scott Barrett’s controversial late-game call

The dominant pack should be enforcing their superiority with maximum points and the psychological advantage of taking the lead.

You don’t get that by saying we’ll settle for three and try again you get it by scoring seven and trying again. Doesn’t come off every time?

No.

But if you’ve asserted dominance letting the opposition off and not trying to build a double score difference is wrong minded.

All blacks have traditionally played to build the unassailable lead not meekly win a single point victory.

11 Go to comments

Arnold 19 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

Aaah. Ben Smith. Ever the unbiased, objective rugby scribe......NOT.

Unable to give credit where it's due, other than for the ABs, especially when it comes to the Boks. His contempt for them is tangible. If you want to " Get Real" about these ABs Ben, consider when they last beat the Boks??? For us Bok fans, beating the ABs is the only true measure.

22 Go to comments

Reader76 38 minutes ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

"they [All Blacks] are nuggety and resourceful and don’t wilt. They are prepared to win the hard way, accumulating points by any means necessary."

Sounds like you're describing your arch-nemesis Ben 😁

22 Go to comments

CM 41 minutes ago

'Steve Borthwick hung his troops out to dry - he should take some blame'

This article only shows a part of SBs failings as England Coach. Firstly his reputation st Leicester was false, his SA and Welsh players won the matches not his coaching prowess. He has Wigglesworth as attack coach, someone who rarely attacked when playing. His player selection is awful, ignoring form players and sticking with failed internationals. He picks players that he knows and will be easy to manage for him. What on earth is Slade doing when even for Exeter he does not make line breaks with steppping, pace or guile, why on earth are Cole,George,Steward,Ford,Iseweke and a few other anywhere near the Team. Borthwick is awful as Head Coach of England.

1 Go to comments

Mzilikazi 42 minutes ago

Key Wallabies trio running hot a year after being left in cold

Good to be writing about a WB team that has beaten two 6 N sides in successive weeks, Brett.

Lolesio indeed is looking very comfortable under Schmidt coaching. He must feel as confident now as he was feeling in his spell at Toulon last year. It will be interesting to see how he does against Finn Russell.

30 Go to comments

J Marc 1 hour ago

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

Your unterstanding of the relation FFR LNR, is far better than the one in the article. For Meafou, there is an article on Skelton saying he is totally indispensable in the australian game.

In France they are often compared, and french game is often, but not always ,based on this kind of number 5. But , there are a lot of kind of play in France and in the world, and it's a blessing, because otherwise, the game would be boring.

On my other post ,which you replied, my intention was to explain with some historics facts the main importance, in France, of the championship.

But ,once again, I would prefer 3 games in NZ , with the better french players.

287 Go to comments

Ninjin 1 hour ago

Let's be real about these All Blacks

I said before the November tests that the AB's should go smash some Nh teams to find their feet and it seems that is just what they did bar France. Could have should have always sucks. Better to look to the future.

22 Go to comments