Dave Rennie adresses the four All Blacks to miss selection in both opening Tests

Following the All Blacks‘ second team naming of the new Test season, 30 of the 34 squad members have had their names called, with the team’s most experienced player, Beauden Barrett, among the four yet to have his shoulder tapped.

Barrett is just six games away from becoming the fourth player in rugby history to play 150 Tests, and would become the first back to ever achieve the milestone. But after a shaky Blues season that didn’t reflect too well on any player not named Anton Segner, the 35-year-old is having to fight it out at training to earn his opportunity.

All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie told reporters in Wellington that the veteran playmaker was putting his best foot forward during the week, but he added that he and his selectors were “not necessarily” aiming to field every squad member during the July Test window.

For now, it’s Ruben Love who has been backed in Barrett’s preferred No.10 jersey, forming a Hurricanes-heavy backline for the Wellington showdown with Italy.

“We’ve got a lot of depth, a lot of competition for places. But I guess we’re keen to keep some combinations together and get a little bit of continuity,” Rennie said after revealing five changes in his starting team and an overhauled bench.

Team Form

Last 5 Games

34 - 32

26 - 52

33 - 19

17 - 25

13 - 26

27 - 10

31 - 17

23 - 18

33 - 8

20 - 13

4

Wins

1

2

Streak

2

22

Tries Scored

8

35

Points Difference

-58

3/5

First Try

1/5

3/5

First Points

2/5

3/5

Race To 10 Points

2/5

Joining Barrett on the sidelines in Wellington and Christchurch are halfback Kyle Preston, flanker Simon Parker and lock Patrick Tuipulotu.

“Patty was pretty close; we made a call on Monday,” Rennie explained. “He’s had niggles all year, and I don’t think he’s ever really been 100 per cent when he’s been out there. So we’re thinking we’ll leave him for another week and are confident that he’ll be 100 per cent next week. He’s had a good week.

“Outside of that, KP (Preston), we genuinely thought about throwing him on the bench in behind Cam (Roigard), but the way the game panned out last week, Cortez (Ratima) only got about five minutes, so I wanted to give him a little bit more time this week.

“Beauden’s been excellent. He’s contributing really well, training really well. He carved us up a handful of times today. But again, I gave Ruben his first Test at 10 last week, he played really well, and now he’s back at home with the connection with these guys (Roigard and Billy Proctor). So we’re keen to play him again, with DMac (Damian McKenzie) at the back.

“The other one is Simon Parker, who hasn’t played yet. Again, Simon’s been great; we’ve got unbelievable depth in that loose forward group. His time will come. We’ve got 17 games this year, a hell of a lot of footy to be played in Africa.

“We’ll see how things wash out after the weekend, for what comes up against Ireland.”

Barrett has recently split his time in the Test arena between fullback and first five, but that versatility isn’t so unique in the current squad. Both Love and McKenzie have spent plenty of time in the No.15 jersey, and while the former is now seen as primarily a No.10, there is another experienced fullback on the field in Will Jordan, who has been selected on the right wing.

“Everyone keeps talking about Will being out of position; he’s scored 37 tries for the All Blacks on the wing. He’s pretty comfortable there,” Rennie said.

“Having him and Damian on the field means we’ve got two really high-quality fullbacks on the field. So I’m not necessarily saying we’ll do that all year, but we were pretty keen to keep that combination going.”