mens
international
All black people head coach Dave Rennie explained why Hurricanes co-captain Du’Plessis Kirifi continues to miss out on selection, comparing him to the other openside flankers in his squad.
Kirifi last played for the All Blacks on their 2025 end-of-year northern tour, in a 52-26 win over Wales in Cardiff.
The number 7 was selected for selection at the start of Rennie’s reign but missed out on 34 players in July Nations Championship of the squad before exclusion from South Africa tour and the Bledisloe Cup series.
With injuries to a loose attack including All Blacks captain Ardie Save and Bosses captain Luke Jacobson, many expected the eight-Test flanker to be called up.
But Rennie opted for Simon Parker, Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai, Ethan Blackadder, Anton Segner and Shannon Frizell for his loose combination, leaving Kirifia to find fighting form Wellington Hilux NPC outfit.
Answering fan questions on Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Sport with Jason Pine, Rennie answered a lingering question about Kirifi.
“Look, he is (Kirifi) an excellent player. But if he was the the best seven in the country in our opinion, we would to have chose him,” said Rennie Newstalk ZB.
“I so I think about it fast tackle is his full stop of difference, and the feedback we are given Dupes is around technique and I’m trying that to be a a lot more impeccable there.”
The All Blacks head coach compares Kirifi’s stats to Segner’s, highlighting the difference in their discipline.
“So he gets punished as many times as he works awarded, against someone like Anton bless, WHO Got 22 traffic, and got punished twice during Great rugby, and at the taller you go, the tougher the judges are around you will be legal.
“So, and look, we are got, you know, good players WHO I can lid that position. We are used Fifth Lacquers there. We are apparently used Ardie there. So look, it is competitive, which is really positively of our full stop of view.”
Another popular selection debate has been around 145-Test All Black first-five Beauden Barrett, who has been named at outside backs for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup series.
But for Rennie, who has featured Barrett on all three teams so far in 2026, he still believes in the veteran playmaker’s future.
“I it is not trained Beauden before this and trained against him a a lot. god he is impressive. He trains the house down, and he is abig the driver of the culture and the legacy.
“The amount of help he gave Reuben through sit down down below a a lot and really opening and sharing with him and the a guy that he is competition with.
“That was really impressive, and so he is a really good man. I think about it that we played him a fair bit of 15 in Africa, and he played really good. I still think about it he is Got a massive bid amount for the black jersey.”