The All Blacks have made just one change to their 36-man group to head north for this year’s end-of-year tour.
Having spent six months on the sidelines after an injury in Super Rugby Pacific for the Hurricanes, halfback Cam Roigard is the only new face, and is in line for his first test appearance of the year, and under new coach Scott Robertson.
However, Roigard’s inclusion comes at the expense of one-cap halfback Noah Hotham, who drops out of the All Blacks to be selected for the touring All Blacks XV squad, to be coached by Clayton McMillan.
“It was fantastic to see Cam in great form for Counties in the weekend and we are excited to have him back in the mix,” said Robertson. “
Fellow halfbacks Cortez Ratima and TJ Perenara showed during the Rugby Championship that they deserve their spots in the squad, and this means Noah Hotham will be included in the All Blacks XV squad to be announced tomorrow, where he will be able to gain some valuable playing time.
“This Northern Tour is an exciting challenge, which will allow us to continue evolving our game and building a style of rugby that creates opportunities against some fierce competition. We have selected a squad that will bring consistency and continuity, while also achieving the right balance of giving newer talent the chance to develop within a team that has valuable experience against these northern hemisphere sides.”
Hotham’s exit means TJ Perenara has been retained for his final tests with the All Blacks. The 32-year-old will leave New Zealand Rugby at the end of 2024 to take up a contract in Japan.
Former captain Sam Cane is in the same boat, and has also been retained despite the challenge of young Wellington loose forward, Peter Lakai.
The All Blacks begin their northern tour against Japan on October 26, before heading to Europe to face England, Ireland, France and Italy in consecutive weeks.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks XV have matches against Irish club side Munster, and the Georgian national team in Montpellier.
What to expect
Scott Robertson will name his 36-man squad to head north for a one-off test against Japan, before heading to Europe for the traditional year-ending tour.
The All Blacks play five tests on this tour, with Japan, England, Ireland, France and Italy all waiting for a chance to trip up Robertson’s men.
With the 36-man squad being the same size as what was named for this year’s Rugby Championship, any new faces that will be added must come at the expense of someone already in place.
At the same time, a further 29 players will be picked for the All Blacks XV, coached by Clayton McMillan. They’ll play matches against Irish club side Munster and also a pseudo-test against Georgia.
It’s not out of the question that players chop and change between both the All Blacks and All Blacks XV.
Ins and outs
As always, just who will be picked remains the most intriguing part of squad selection.
The return of Cam Roigard for Counties Manukau opens up a heap of options at halfback. Does Robertson bring him straight back into the All Blacks or allow him a stint with the All Blacks XV to ease him back to full speed? Will a Roigard return spell the end for Japan-bound TJ Perenara? Or will it see one-cap Noah Hotham move to the All Blacks XV for some regular game time?
Meanwhile, Sam Cane is also off to Japan but has established himself as the first choice No 7. Will Robertson look to continue, or does Wellington’s Peter Lakai as one for the future loom as a selection he can’t turn down?
Paul Lewis reckons Scott Robertson must be ruthless and axe Sam Cane and TJ Perenara for the end-of-year-tour, and you can read his explanation here.
Rugby Championship squad
Forwards: Asafo Aumua, Codie Taylor, George Bell, Ethan De Groot, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett (captain), Tupou Vaa’i, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Darry, Ethan Blackadder, Sam Cane, Samipeni Finau, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papali’i, Ardie Savea, Wallace Sititi
Backs: Noah Hotham, TJ Perenara, Cortez Ratima, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Billy Proctor, Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan, Ruben Love, Stephen Perofeta, Sevu Reece, Mark Tele’a
Injury cover: Josh Lord, Harry Plummer
All Blacks schedule
Saturday, October 26: All Blacks v Japan, Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
Sunday, November 3: All Blacks v England, Twickenham, London
Saturday, November 9: All Blacks v Ireland, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sunday, November 17: All Blacks v France, Stade de France, Paris
Sunday, November 24: All Blacks v Italy, Allianz Stadium, Turin
All Blacks XV schedule
Sunday, November 3: All Blacks XV v Munster, Thomond Park, Limerick
Monday, November 11: All Blacks XV v Georgia, GGL Stadium, Montpellier
Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.
