The Dave Rennie era of All Blacks rugby has a captain and a squad. New Zealand’s new head coach has handed the captaincy to loose forward Ardie Savea and named four uncapped players in his first 34-man squad, unveiled on Monday ahead of the team’s opening Nations Championship test against France in Christchurch on 4 July.
Savea takes over the armband from Scott Barrett, who misses the July tests through injury. The 32-year-old has played 100 tests for the All Blacks and is widely regarded as one of the best forwards in the world game, and Rennie said the decision came down to two trusted senior men.
“We thought we had a couple of really good options in Codie Taylor and Ardie, both highly respected and really good men,” Rennie told reporters. He explained why he eventually settled on Savea. “Ardie’s not a massive talker, but he leads through his actions, and I know you get the best out of Ardie when he’s going to take on that responsibility, he’s played 100 tests, he’s highly respected.”
Savea said the conversation that confirmed the honour was brief. “He called me, gave me a phone call, and yeah, the question came through, and obviously I said yes. It was as simple as that,” he said. The new skipper added that he intends to lead the way he always has. “I’m a man of few words, but I try and lead for action, and I think I do that because a lot of the leaders that have really impacted me were the ones that didn’t say much, but really, really led for action through the training week and the game.”
The four new caps point to where Rennie wants to take the team. Hurricanes winger Fehi Fineanganofo and his teammate Josh Moorby, a utility back, have both been rewarded after strong Super Rugby Pacific campaigns. Hurricanes prop Xavier Numia is included in the front row, and German-born Blues flanker Anton Segner completes the quartet of bolters. It is an unusually large intake of newcomers for a first squad, and a clear signal that Rennie is prepared to back form over reputation.
That willingness to make hard calls was underlined by the omissions. Experienced midfielder and outside back Rieko Ioane misses out despite scoring in a recent United Rugby Championship final, one of the more eye-catching selection decisions of the announcement. Halfback Noah Hotham was also passed over, with Kyle Preston preferred among the scrum-half options. A number of loose forwards who pushed for selection during the Super Rugby season were left waiting as well.
There was better news for several established names. Fullback Will Jordan was named despite carrying a calf complaint, while loose forward Wallace Sititi was included after concussion concerns earlier in the year. Midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown returns to the fold after a stint playing in Japan, adding experience to a backline that will need it against a strong France side in the opening match.
The squad marks the start of a new chapter for the All Blacks. Rennie, who is 62, was confirmed as head coach in March, replacing Scott Robertson after Robertson made the surprise decision to step down midway through his contract. The former Wallabies coach saw off Jamie Joseph for the job and has been handed a contract through to the end of next year’s World Cup. He is the first All Blacks coach with Pacific Islander heritage, a milestone for a team that has long drawn on the talent of Pasifika communities across New Zealand.
Rennie honoured a commitment to coach Japan’s Kobe Steelers before turning his attention to the July tests, and it was at that club that he and Savea spent time together earlier in the year. That relationship clearly counted when the coach was weighing up who should lead. Savea’s appointment also gives the team a settled figure at the front while Barrett recovers, removing one uncertainty from a campaign that already carries plenty of newness.
The Nations Championship is the new global competition that brings the leading rugby nations together in a structured format, and the southern series of home tests gives Rennie an immediate chance to set the tone. France arrive in Christchurch as serious opponents, and a win at the new stadium would be a strong start for a coach who has openly said the job will take a great deal of work.
For the four new caps, the next fortnight is about absorbing as much as they can. Fineanganofo, Moorby, Numia and Segner all came through the Super Rugby Pacific season as players on the rise, and a first test cap against France would cap a remarkable few months. For Savea, the focus is simpler. He has the captaincy, a coach who trusts him, and a home test to prepare for.
You can read the full squad details at RNZ, with further coverage at the NZ Herald and RugbyPass.
What do you make of Rennie’s first squad and the call to hand Ardie Savea the captaincy? Have your say in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job π
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