It's time for the All Blacks XV to trust youth before it's too late

When Rassie Erasmus made seven changes to his match day 23 after failing to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park, it showed the trust he has in his squad, and the depth available to him.

Those changes inflicted the biggest defeat ever on the All Blacks, flexing his squad’s muscles by having the capability to call on a number of stars that didn’t play in Auckland.

Erasmus has the depth in numbers that the All Blacks once had, and his constant chopping and changing in the Springboks setup has meant he can name two almost entirely different starting XV’s within the space of two weeks, knowing he’s not going to compromise the quality.

The All Blacks though, under Scott Robertson, decided not to field their extended squad in games where they were more likely to win, such as against Italy on the end-of-year tour in 2024 and a second-string French team in Hamilton earlier this year.

Now, to Robertson’s credit, he’s made some courageous decisions that have worked. Leroy Carter has made three starts and scored in each of them. Simon Parker has made the leap to Test level look like a breeze, and Fabian Holland’s performances so far give you more than enough hope he’ll be there for the next ten years. Quinn Tupaea excelled in his first start at No.13 for the All Blacks, and the list could go on. But this is what fans have been crying out for during his tenure.

But there are still some question marks around his decisions, including the continuous selection of Rieko Ioane, and players like Sevu Reece that just aren’t at Test level anymore, so they should be, and need to be replaced by younger or more in-form players.

Luke Jacobson and Samipeni Finau have both shown glimpses of Test match quality throughout Super Rugby Pacific, but even in their return to rugby in the Bunnings NPC on Friday night, they reminded fans that discipline issues still linger in their performances.

If Robertson wants to be four deep in every position, like he’s talked about all year, it’s time to look to the future and actually pick the players who are good enough and in form, not wait until he’s forced to play his cards.

Caleb Tangitau’s injury at the backend of Super Rugby Pacific hurt his chances of All Black selection, but he’s another player who has more than enough talent and pace to excel as a Test winger. You only have to look at his tries scored throughout the season to understand his potential in the No.14 jersey.

This is where Highlanders head coach Jamie Joseph comes in, as he’s been appointed the All Blacks XV head coach for 2025 and 2026, keeping him in a coaching role with New Zealand Rugby for the next two years.

The 55-year-old will continue to coach the Highlanders in Super Rugby Pacific, while taking charge of the team below the All Blacks, to develop players for Test level.

Joseph understands the importance of his role as All Blacks XV head coach, saying that his job is ultimately to develop players for International rugby.

“My job is to create an environment that challenges the players and prepares them to win on the world stage and put their hands up for higher honours.

“It’s an exciting schedule that will put the group under pressure and expose them to different playing styles on big stages,” Joseph said on the New Zealand Rugby website.

Alongside Cory Jane, Jamie Mackintosh, and David Hill as assistant coaches, Joseph is tasked with balancing development and experience in a squad that will continue to be a pivotal stepping stone for players in New Zealand.

Last year’s All Blacks XV squad: Xavier Numia, George Dyer, Saula Ma’u, Marcel Renata, George Bower, Brodie McAlister, Kurt Eklund, Bradley Slater, Josh Lord, Fabian Holland, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Peter Lakai, Hoskins Sotutu, Oliver Haig, Christian Lio-Willie, Noah Hotham, Finlay Christie, Harry Plummer, Josh Jacomb, Quinn Tupaea, Riley Higgins, AJ Lam, Dallas McLeod, Kiniviliame Naholo, Emoni Narawa, Chay Fihaki, Shaun Stevenson.

The squad from 2024 had players who very much deserved to be there after impressive Super Rugby Pacific and Bunnings NPC competitions, but when you look at some of the players from the squad, many have already played for the All Blacks and had previously been in and around camp.

Players like Hoskins Sotutu, Shaun Stevenson, Harry Plummer, Finlay Christie, George Bower, and Emoni Narawa have all played for the All Blacks, meaning they already have the experience that this All Blacks XV squad is designed to provide.

Clayton McMillan, last year’s All Blacks XV coach, missed a trick with selecting players whom the All Blacks coaches already knew about and had seen play for a number of years.

Out of that squad, McAlister, Holland, Kirifi, Lakai, Lio-Willie, Hotham, Tupaea, and Narawa are the ones who have made that leap up to an International level, but other than that, there’s probably only a couple of the players that could make the jump in the future.

Higgins has been unlucky with injuries, but his frame and skillset suit the International stage, and Jacomb is clearly New Zealand’s next best specialist No.10, but he hasn’t been used yet either for the All Blacks.

What should be done in this year’s All Blacks XV is that the squad should be filled with a number of New Zealand U20’s from the last couple of years, players who are showing signs of being Test-level prospects.

Players like Cooper Roberts from Tasman, who have starred in recent weeks in the NPC, need to be looked at closely. Roberts looks like an exciting player on both sides of the ball and has shown a turn of pace to beat a defender.

Dylan Pledger, who once again was impressive against Waikato in the NPC on Friday, will no doubt be on the tour, and rightly so. There are arguments that he’s New Zealand’s third or fourth best halfback already, and he hasn’t even played for the Highlanders yet. His best spot for the rest of the year is the starting halfback for the All Blacks XV, under his Super Rugby Pacific coach.

He may be under contract with the All Blacks Sevens squad, but one of the most talked about youngsters in recent memory, Oli Mathis, should definitely be released to be on the tour to develop his case as a hybrid loose forward that can play on the wing.

Then the coaching staff should gamble on a player like Eli Oudenryn, who’s recently signed for the Blues from 2027, to try and develop his skills ready for All Blacks selection in future years.

Maloni Kunawave, Stanely Solomon, and Kele Lasaqa are three outside backs with immense potential, and could be on the tour for development, so that in 2027 or beyond, they’ve already been exposed to an International Test level standard.

Fiti Sa, Charlie Sinton, Mika Muliaina, Mosese Bason, and Veveni Lasaqa are players who also should be on the radar, especially to be used in the All Blacks XV games in years to come, so that when the time comes, these young athletes are ready to go.

Lucas Casey showed in 80 minutes against Canterbury that he’s a fantastic talent, so Joseph needs to pick players that could play for the All Blacks in the future, rather than players like Dalton Papal’i’i, and others, who they already have more than enough data on.

Yes, there will be some fringe All Blacks and experienced Super Rugby Pacific-level players in Joseph’s squad, but in years to come, New Zealand desperately needs this team to strike the right balance of developing the next generation and recognising proven players with deserved opportunities.

Because it will catch up on the All Blacks and Robertson, as players age and move on to future endeavours.

So Joseph and his coaching staff need to use the team to develop younger players, and find the hidden gems that the All Blacks will need in the future.

The All Blacks XV is a development team, to help the All Blacks in years to come, so picking youth players who will be at the peak of their powers in years ahead, must start on Tuesday this week when the team’s named.