mens
international
All black people Head coach Dave Rennie has named his 34-man squad to take on the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup starting next weekend at Auckland’s Eden Park.
The squad has several notable inclusions, led by the return of Shannon Frizell and Scott Barrett, who will play for the All Blacks for the first time in 2026.
Blacks playmakers Josh Jacomb, Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett are all included, with Ruben Love set to miss the Bledisloe Cup series with an ankle ligament injury.
Codie Taylor has been named captain in the absence of Ardie Save and Luke Jacobson, with both loose forwards likely to miss the rest of the season with injuries.
Patrick Tuipulotu, Ollie Norris, Billy Proctor, Anton Lienert-Brown and Caleb Clarke will also miss the series through injury.
Blues lock Sam Darry and Bosses outside back Emoni Narawa misses out, while Anton Segner and Quinn Tupaea appear to have recovered from minor injuries.
Rennie said Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry was a huge learning experience for a number of players.
“Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour has been great for us. We’ve learned a lot about our game and ourselves, and it’s given a lot of lads valuable shirt time. A lot of them have put their hands up and every player selected fully deserves their place,” said Rennie.
The All Blacks head coach explained that he is pleased that both Barrett and Frizell are ready to return to the environment.
“It’s great to welcome back Scott Barrett and Shannon Frizell. Scott has had a challenging spell in the side and we’re delighted to have his experience and leadership back in the fold. Shannon brings a wealth of Test experience and physical impact to our loose forwards.”
“Congratulations to Codie Taylor on his captaincy as well. Codie is a top man who has a huge handicap. His leadership as Tour Captain has been important to us during rugby’s greatest rivalry so we know he will do an outstanding job in Ardie’s absence.”
“The Bledisloe Cup means a huge amount to this team. We’ve held it since 2003 and we don’t take it for granted. Australia it will be a real challenge. Now it’s a very experienced Wallabies side who have played a lot of Tests together. “After eight games on the road, we are excited to start this series in front of our home crowd at Eden Park,” said Rennie.
Taylor, who will lead the All Blacks during the Bledisloe Cup series, said it was a proud moment for him and his family.
“Leading this team is a great honor and I know I’m lucky to have a lot of good leaders around me who make that job easier. A special thanks to my wh?nau for their support; none of this would have been possible without them.
“Ardie has done an outstanding job for us this year, and we’re all gutted that he’s not with us. We’ll do everything we can to make him proud.”
“This group is hungry to show what we’ve learned so far this year. The Bledisloe Cup means a lot to every player in this squad, and there’s nothing better than running out at Eden Park in front of your home crowd,” explained Taylor.
The squad of 34 players is as follows (Age, Super Rugby Club, Province, Test Cap):
Forwards (19)
Whores
Codie Taylor (35 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 112) (captain)
Asafo Aumua (29 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 26)
Samson Ward (29 / Chiefs / Waikato / 45)
Props
Ethan de Groot (28 / Highlanders / Southland / 45)
George Bower (34 / Crusaders / Otago / 29)
Xavier Numia (27 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 5)
Tyrel Lomax (30 / Hurricanes / Tasman / 55)
Fletcher Newell (26 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 41)
Tosi Corridor (28 / Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty / 17)
Locks
Scott Barrett (32 / Crusaders / Taranaki / 89)
Josh Lord (25 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 17)
Fabian Holland (23 / Highlanders / Otago / 15)
Tupou Vaai’i (26 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 51)
Loose Forwards
Simon Parker (26 / Chiefs / Northland / 10)
Shannon Frizell (32 / Highlanders / Tasman / 33)
Anton Segner (25 / Blues / Auckland / 2)
Ethan Blackadder (31 / Crusaders / Tasman / 15)
Peter Lakai (23 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 14)
Wallace Sititi (24 / Chiefs / North Port / 23)
Back (15)
Halfbacks
Cam Roigard (25 / Hurricanes / Counties Manukau / 24)
Cortez Ratima (25 / Chiefs / Waikato / 24)
Kyle Preston (27 / Crusaders / Wellington / 5)
The first five-eighths
Richie Mo’unga (32 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 57)
Josh Jacomb ( 25 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 0)
Midfielders
Jordie Barrett (29 / Hurricanes / Taranaki / 85)
Quinn Tupaea (27 / Chiefs / Waikato / 29)
Timoci Tavatavanawai (28 / Highlanders / Tasman / 2)
Rieko Ioane (29 / Blues / Auckland / 89)
Outside Backs
Fehi Fineanganofo (24 / Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty / 1)
Leroy Carter (27 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty / 10)
Josh Moorby (28 / Hurricanes / Waikato / 5)
Will Jordan (28 / Crusaders / Tasman / 61)
Beauden Barrett (35 / Blues / Taranaki / 145)
Damian McKenzie (31 / Chiefs / Waikato / 81)
Unavailable due to injury: Ruben Love (ankle); Patrick Tuipulotu (calf); Ardie Savea (shoulder); Luke Jacobson (elbow); Anton Lienert-Brown (knee); Billy Proctor (shoulder); Caleb Clarke (shoulder); Ollie Norris (knee).
