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Richie Mo’unga did not play for All black people in three years from 2023 Rugby World Cup The final when Dave Rennie tried to make contact, calling for a forced change in the squad for South Africa’s biggest rugby rivalry.
With Billy Proctor ruled out of the tour with a broken shoulder blade, the rugby world waited to see if Mo’unga would return to the All Blacks. Rennie extended his hand, but the experienced playmaker didn’t immediately see the message.
Mo’unga went to bed earlier than usual that night and was already asleep when Rennie called at around 21:00 NZT. The seven-time Super Rugby champion awoke at around 2:00am to notice a missed message, sparking an exceptionally eventful day.
“I can’t sleep now knowing that he needs to talk to me. But I think when I texted back, he didn’t even answer and just called me in the morning,” Mo’unga said RugbyPass late last month in Sydney while wearing a player-issued All Blacks polo.
Mo’unga began a long journey to South Africa that afternoon, with a lineup update to be made available to the public on August 12. Lions in Johannesburg and started the fourth Test against the Springboks.
“I was away for three seasons, I came back and I met the guys in the team for the first time, the guys who made their Super Rugby debuts while I was away,” Mo’unga said.
“I was coming back to a different team, a team led by a different head coach, someone I’d never worked with before. It was a little bit like my debut.”
“I was so excited and I was so excited to get back in the mix and just meet the boys and learn.”
Mo’unga wore the number 10 jersey in the World Cup final as the Springboks defended their crown 12-11. Like the entire All Blacks team, Mo’unga walked past the Webb Ellis Cup with a silver medal wrapped around his neck, having failed to reach the sport’s ultimate prize.
It was the end of a decorated chapter New Zealand for Mo’unga, with whom he signed a three-year contract Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo in Japan Rugby League One. Mo’unga helped Toshiba win back-to-back titles in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.
But two years after the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia, New Zealand Rugby announced in August 2025 that Mo’unga was returning. The first five-eighth signed an 18-month contract with NZR Crusaders and Canterbury.
“They were all different stories about me before I even set foot in New Zealand, even when I was in Japan, about what was going to happen and what should happen and people with their opinions,” he said.
“If anyone knows me, I’m team first. Obviously I’m a competitor and I want to play and I want to be in the 10 jersey, but the best thing I want is what’s best for the team.”
“Just having the opportunity to be in the (All Blacks) environment meant a lot to me. I thanked Rens when he called me … it confirmed when I was in South Africa, I was like, ‘shit, this is why I’m coming back.’ That’s why I longed to get back into this environment because you miss it, and then when you come back, you just realize (that) it demands the best of you, it demands you to be world class with everything and that’s what I missed.”
Ruben Love was ruled out of the final RGR Test, opening the door for Mo’unga to return to the Test arena. The number 10 linked up with Cam Roigard at half-time, and the pair were set to continue that combination against the Wallabies.
Mo’unga was selected in the race ahead of Bledisloe I at Eden Park before tearing his calf in training on Tuesday. The 32-year-old remembers running like normal and then, after accelerating, “I felt it go.”
“I always see these challenges as a real good opportunity to test my attitude.
“It’s a little bit, all these things are part of the game we play. It’s not the first and probably won’t be the last time something like this happens.”
It has been almost three months since Rennie first called up Mo’ung and the outside half has retained his place in the team despite an injury setback. Mo’unga has been named in New Zealand’s squad for November’s Nations Championship, which starts this weekend.
Rennie confirmed last week that Mo’unga is coming back, but he still won’t be available for download Scotland at Murrayfield, with Damian McKenzie, Beauden Barrett and Josh Jacomb other options to start in the top five.
“He’s a good chance for Wales. So we decided we’d better bring him in. He’s a strong chance, obviously from a World Cup perspective, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job around him,” Rennie revealed.
“We took him to Sydney so our guys at MedFit could spend a lot of time building him up. He’s been working really well over the past week and we’ll continue to build him up when we get to Scotland. But probably available for Wales.”
