Dave Rennie: All Blacks 'a couple injuries away from being exposed in certain spots'

All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has made a frank admission about a position of concern ahead of his first campaign with the team.

With Rennie’s Kobelco Kobe Steelers earning a week off to start the playoffs by finishing as the top seed in the League One round-robin, the coach took the opportunity to fly back to New Zealand and advance his plans for the coming All Blacks season.

The trip home included a visit to Hurricanes HQ and a media session, where Rennie faced questions over Richie Mo’unga’s eligibility and made a point of highlighting the depth New Zealand possesses at first five. When he was asked if there were any positions lacking depth, though, he revealed some concerns.

“Look, we’re a couple of injuries away from being exposed in certain spots. We’ve got a handful of props injured at the moment,” the coach said.

“We’re constantly looking, from a selection point of view, at a group of 34 that we’ll initially name. If we can name that group, we’d be very strong in all spots. Injury would be the only concern.”

As it stands, two of the All Blacks’ premier props are unavailable for their respective Super Rugby clubs due to injuries. Tyrel Lomax of the Hurricanes has had two issues this year, recovering from a broken thumb to feature off the bench in round 5 before a split ligament injury to his ankle required surgery and has kept him sidelined since. Tamaiti Williams played two games at the beginning of the Crusaders’ season before his campaign was ended by a spinal infection.

“I think Tyrel will be back soon,” Rennie shared. “Tamaiti, we’re still unclear about whether he’d be available and whether we’d have a chance to take him to Africa. We’ll make a call on that when we know a bit more.”

This week’s Hurricanes team naming was accompanied by an injury list that had Lomax’s expected return date pencilled in for two weeks’ time, placing him on track for a potential qualifying final appearance.

Williams’ injury was announced in late March, at which point it was made clear that providing a timeframe for recovery was unrealistic.

There are seven capped All Blacks props currently fit and available in Super Rugby, including Ofa Tu’ungafasi, who missed the Test season in 2025 due to a neck injury. His place in the All Blacks was taken by Ollie Norris, as Ethan de Groot and Fletcher Newell won starting spots for the bulk of the season.

The Crusaders boast the highest scrum success rate in the 2026 Super Rugby season, while the Chiefs sit third, the Highlanders fourth, the Hurricanes seventh, and the Blues last.