For Tuipulotu, being named as captain is just reward for his resilience, not just in defying the odds to get himself fit to lead the Blues to victory in the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific final, but for all the many times he’s had to drag himself through rehab to fight his way back from serious injury.
His career has been littered with setbacks and yet here he still is, possibly just coming into his prime at 31 and with a sense that this World Cup cycle might be the one in which he finally enjoys a bit of luck and with it, the ability to string a run of tests together and become the player everyone thought he’d be when he won his first cap back in 2014.
Love stacked as one of the unluckiest omissions from the initial All Blacks squad for the July tests, having delivered consistently accurate performances throughout Super Rugby, and Lakai has looked like a test player in waiting since he was in his late teens and the only doubt was when his chance would come.
What’s made this naming on the bench more special is that even two weeks ago, he wouldn’t have imagined that the answer to the question of when he would win his first cap would turn out to be this year.
He wasn’t initially meant to be here, but was called up after injuries struck down Ethan Blackadder, Dalton Papali’i and Luke Jacobson.
But the real story of the team to play Japan is what it tells us about who will be playing against England next week, because the All Blacks have come to Tokyo split into two distinctive groups tasked with two entirely different missions.
And it’s because the extended squad has been split that the decision was made to change the plan at late notice and announce the team to play Japan on Tuesday, rather than Thursday as previously scheduled.
The feeling inside the All Blacks camp was that it would become obvious to the outside world, based on training line-ups, who was doing what so it was felt that it would be better to just go ahead and reveal to everyone.
The second group will be flying to the UK on Friday, after having a semi-opposed hit-out against a local club team on Wednesday, and while that doesn’t mean that those who play in Japan won’t be in the 23 in London, it does give a fair indication that Beauden Barrett will be at No 10 against England.
That much is all but certain as Damian McKenzie has been picked to play at first five-eighths against Japan, in a move that may be designed to help him rebuild his confidence after an up-and-down last month when he was a mix of both good and bad and the subject of relatively prolonged media debate as to whether he’s the right long-term choice at No 10 for the All Blacks.
The opportunity was there for Scott Robertson to dig deeper into his talent pool and select either Stephen Perofeta or Harry Plummer at No 10 against Japan, but presumably the head coach feels Japan need to be treated with a high degree of respect and McKenzie arguably needs the game time more than the other two.
There’s some sense in trying to reset McKenzie ahead of a big tour where, be it from the bench or as a starter, he’s going to be a critical player.
The only question about the England test selection that hasn’t been definitively answered by the unveiling of the team to play Japan, is the make-up of the loose forwards.
While both Sam Cane and Sititi will play in Yokohama, they might be asked to back up again in London alongside Ardie Savea – primarily because the coaches appear to have settled on that being their preferred loose trio for now, and partly because the injury toll is such that there aren’t really any alternative options.
There’s also a question mark hanging over halfback, where it would seem certain that Cortez Ratima is in line to play at Twickenham, but not necessarily a fixed plan about who to pick on the bench.
Cam Roigard is making his first start of the year against Japan, but there may be a wariness about asking him to back up seven days later, given his overall lack of football.
All Blacks v Japan, Saturday 6.50pm. Live commentary on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio. Live match blog at nzherald.co.nz
