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Injuries, and to a lesser extent form, made it difficult for coach Dave Rennie and his selectors to maintain continuity in All black people‘ loose supply of strikers, and in their last line-up in 2026, two new faces turned again.
Both Leicester Fainga’anuku and Christian Lio-Willie received a good news call from Rennie for the first time this year at the weekend and will board a flight to Europe in search of the inaugural Nations Championship title.
The inclusions come after injuries to Ardie Save, Luke Jacobson, Ethan Blackadder and Shannon Frizell, while Simon Parker is listed as unavailable for personal reasons. Although Fainga’anuku has also been unavailable through injury so far this Test season, Lio-Willie has inoculated Otago at the NPC, working on the areas of his game that his national coaches asked him to improve.
Speaking about Crusaders Picked No.8 after back-to-back misses, Rennie said Lio-Willie had been in the picture all year, and now he deserved his chance.
“Look, he had a really good Super season,” explained the coach. “We had him in the non-finalist camp, and there were serious discussions about taking him to Africa. We decided to have others who we thought could provide a bit more of a difference.
“But then again, he had a great NPC. Look, he’s really tough. He’s got a big motor, he’s got really high skill, and he kind of fits the type of game we’re trying to play. So yeah, I’m really excited for him. He’s done well after the disappointment of missing out.”
Beating Lio-Willie to the selection spot on Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour was Hurricanes-bound Semisi Tae’iloa, who burst onto the rugby world scene with two successful debut seasons for Moana Pasifika.
Lio-Willie, meanwhile, ended his 2026 campaign with the Crusaders with the fourth-highest tackles and second-highest tackles, and has carried that form into the NPC, as Rennie pointed out when asked about the election race between the two No.8s.
“We just think Christian’s probably had a stronger NPC since we’ve been back. I’ve spoken to all the players that have missed out, and it’s never a great conversation for them to hear, but again, we’ve given clear messages around the little things we want them to do. It’s a bit difficult now; there’s no foot to play, but they’ve got to keep a good nick, and then they’ve got to get in the nick.”
