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international
Most of 2026 All black people Head coach Dave Rennie made a fine decision to sideline Timoci Tavatavanvai, mostly in place of Anton Lienert-Brown, but not this week in Edinburgh.
The Highlanders the midfielder will wear the No.22 jersey this weekend at Murrayfield against Scotland, where the home side are looking for a breakthrough win over the All Blacks.
Tavatavanawai, who featured mostly in midweek matches in South Africa, gets another chance under Rennie, this time off the bench.
The late midfielder was a late call-up to start the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney after Jordie Barrett withdrew with calf strain, playing more than 60 minutes in the No.12 jersey.
Tavatavanawai had 13 disposals and nine tackles at Accor Stadium, and will get his chance to give the All Blacks a shot at Murrayfield.
Rennie, who spoke to the media at the All Blacks’ Edinburgh 12 will give them a “point of difference”.
“yes, apparently Antonov come back of injury. We think about it Team members will to give us like a bit of a period of the difference,” said the All Blacks head coach in Edinburgh.
“If he is is coming he with 20 that go, with his power and his post-tackle presence, we are reasonable happy with what we Got out of him the last one TEast.
“I think about it he started and he started that a blow out a a little bit late, but yes, the plan was that get him off earlier rather that, bTue because we had a a lot of injuries early, things to change.
“So yes, we think about it his contribution off the bench will to be good.”
Another call for selection that some may not have foreseen is at halfback, where Bosses Halfback Cortez Ratima is preferred over Kyle Preston.
Ratima missed a big part of the hard work South Africa tour through a knee injury, but returned for Waikato in Hilux NPC and made himself available for Nations Championship tour.
Preston, on the other hand, have played every game in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, but Rennie admitted the coaching staff believe there is little difference between the two back-ups.
“Look, in between Cortez and KP, we don’t think about it it is an enormous amount. But he (Ratima) apparently had a knee injury in South Africa; he is done that completely, and I’m looking for really sharp at training.
“So he brings a a lot of energy, speed that the ball, and a really high–quality skill set. So if you I want that elevator the tempo late in the game, he is great for that.”