All Blacks selectors explain bulked-up Leicester Fainga'anuku selection

Leicester Fainga’anuku will return to the Test arena this weekend when the Wallabies host the All Blacks in Perth, 720 days after his last cap against Ireland in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final. The return is highly anticipated, with Kiwi fans eager to see how an even more bulked-up Fainga’anuku can make his presence felt in the black jersey once more.

Just a handful of NPC games have been enough to show the utility back is in destructive form, but how that can translate to the international game is the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue following Thursday’s team naming, in which it was revealed he will start on the left wing against Australia with the Rugby Championship on the line.

The bruiser himself said his selection for the Test was a “bit of a shock”, but as he felt his heart rate climb, he was reminded how much playing for the All Blacks meant to him.

His coach, Scott Robertson, said his selection comes after training at the highest level for a month, with his “big body” being a point of difference in the backline.

It was Caleb Clarke reaggravating an ankle injury that opened the door for a new face on the left wing, but assistant coach Jason Ryan affirmed Robertson’s sentiments when speaking to Sky Sport on Thursday.

“He’s trained incredibly well,” Fainga’anuku’s former Crusaders assistant said. “He’s come in and done his homework. He’s coming off the back of a reasonable season overseas, but it’s been pretty seamless, the work he’s done around the ball and off the ball, and we know that he’s a threat with the ball. So, we’re really looking forward to that.”

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Former All Black Mils Muliaina reacted to Ryan’s comments and shared his view on the returning star.

“It’s interesting hearing what (Ryan) said about him familiarising himself with the environment and how they’re playing,” the Test centurion said on the All Blacks Preview Show.

“He’s a threat. So, if the All Blacks get momentum, like they did last week, he’ll finish it. As did Caleb Clarke.

“But the one thing he’s going to be really effective at is around the fringes. He can really challenge some of those tiring defenders around those edges, and he can pick and go.

“We all know what he can do, but I’m looking forward to seeing it because he looks a lot bigger since coming back from France. He’s put on quite a bit of muscle. We’ll see how he can go in a Test match.”

Fainga’anuku made headlines last month after revealing he was playing for Toulon at a loose-forward-esque weight of 114 kg, and actually playing loose forward at the end of some games.

Former All Blacks prop Angus Ta’avao had recently caught up with Fainga’anuku and asked about the weight he’d added while away.

“Flying back from Blenheim, we saw him in the airport, and he was talking about having to put on the weight in France because of the physical need and the physical battle over there, so I’m excited to see it,” he said.

“He came back into NPC, and honestly, it looked like he was playing schoolboy rugby. He’s explosive, he’s powerful, and against a team that’s backing themselves with some of their big boys, I think we need him in there.”