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All Blacks release five players for provincial duty ahead of Bledisloe I

By Tom Vinicombe
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

While Ian Foster won’t reveal his 23 to take on the Wallabies in the opening Bledisloe Cup test of the year until tomorrow, it’s a safe bet that five players released for provincial duty this weekend won’t feature for the All Blacks on Saturday.

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New Zealand’s provincial competition, recoined this year as the NPC, kicks off on Friday night with Counties Manukau taking on Manawatu.

The Steelers could be boosted by the addition of new recruit Hoskins Sotutu, who recently switched allegiances from Auckland and has been deemed surplus to requirements by Foster this week.

Three further players have been released for Saturday’s fixtures, with 21-year-old lock Tupou Vaa’i set to play for Taranaki against Hawke’s Bay, after also representing the Bulls in their latest pre-season fixture.

Vaa’i had an outstanding season for the Chiefs after making his Super Rugby and international debuts last year but wasn’t able to earn any minutes for the All Blacks in their July series with Tonga and Fiji. As such, Saturday’s match will mark the big lock’s sole first-class match since the Chiefs’ final game of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.

Wellington will also have access to two stars, with Asafo Aumua and TJ Perenara available for duty.

Aumua made one appearance of the bench for the All Blacks in July but a head knock kept him out of the remaining two matches. Perenara, meanwhile, wasn’t eligible for selection after spending the first half of the year representing the NTT Red Hurricanes in Japan.

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Foster signposted that Perenara was always likely to make his return to action in NZ rugby via Wellington.

Finally, Canterbury utility back Braydon Ennor has also been released for provincial duty – although his match comes on Sunday, against Auckland.

Ennor was initially selected in the All Blacks squad for July but was a late scratching after suffering from appendicitis. Like Perenara, a return to action via the NPC was always on the cards.

The All Blacks confirmed that a further group of players could be made available for their provinces for Sunday’s fixtures, depending on what happens in Saturday’s test.

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Bay of Plenty, Tasman, North Harbour, Waikato, Auckland and Canterbury will all play on Sunday which means that up to 20 further players could technically play in the opening round of the NPC. A large of those players, however, such as Richie Mo’unga, Codie Taylor and Anton Lienert-Brown are all expected to represent the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday, likely ruling them out from contention.

Saturday’s match between the All Blacks and Wallabies kicks off at 7:05pm.

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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