LONG READ Dave Rennie is getting the band back together - but will the All Blacks veterans strike the right notes?

Dave Rennie is getting the band back together. Midway through the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series he called up Richie Mo’unga, and now, for the Bledisloe Cup, he’s recalled Scott Barrett and Shannon Frizell.

All three played in the 2023 World Cup final, and depending on injuries over the next 12 months, it’s probable the All Blacks will look much the same in personnel next year as they did when they lost 12-11 to South Africa in Paris. This could become intriguing as if everything goes to form, the All Blacks are likely to find themselves playing the Springboks in a quarter-final.

And one of the big talking points to come out of the recent series is how long some of South Africa’s veterans can keep playing at the incredible level they are. In beating New Zealand 3-1, the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi, Cobus Reinach, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel and Cheslin Kolbe were all hugely influential. But come the World Cup, Etzebeth will be 36, Du Toit 35, Kolisi 36, Reinach 37, De Allende 36, Kriel 34 and Kolbe 34. Other key men in the squad will also be well into their 30s – Lood de Jager 34, Malcolm Marx 33, Wilco Louw 33, Frans Malhebre 36, Andre Esterhuizen and Handre Pollard 33.

It’s not just the age of the Springboks that has many asking questions, but for all they have rotated and built depth, they remain highly dependent on many of the players who won them the last World Cup. There is a sense however brilliant they have been, they haven’t necessarily rejuvenated or refreshed the team and there is a danger a few of these legends don’t have another 12 months of rugby in them – or at least they may not have the capacity to retain their current form for that long.

But the question of rejuvenation and refreshing is one that can just as easily be asked of the All Blacks now Mo’unga and Frizell have been brought back from Japan and Barrett has returned from a sabbatical and back surgery. These three, because of the circumstances and timing of their respective return to the fold, serve as the most obvious examples of the All Blacks selecting veterans of the 2023 campaign, but they are by no means the only players to have been involved in France who remain integral to the 2027 bid.

The decision to appoint Codie Taylor captain in the absence of the injured Ardie Savea is yet another example of Rennie retaining faith in an older athlete. Taylor, a long and admirable servant to the All Blacks cause, has been under pressure for his starting spot from the dynamic Asafo Aumua and also Samisoni Taukei’aho. Despite that, and the fact Taylor will be 36 at next year’s tournament, Rennie has given the hooker the captaincy for the remainder of this year – a decision which perhaps illustrates no-one has emerged during this World Cup cycle as an obviously strong leader.

It’s possible – certainly not out of the question – the All Blacks could start the first Bledisloe Test with eight players who started the 2023 World Cup final, and when everyone is fit, that their best line-up features 13 of the matchday 23.

It’s possible – certainly not out of the question – the All Blacks could start the first Bledisloe Test with eight players who started the 2023 World Cup final, and when everyone is fit, that their best line-up features 13 of the matchday 23.

Ethan de Groot, Taylor, Tyrel Lomax, Scott Barrett, Frizell, Mo’unga, Jordie Barrett and Will Jordan all started in Paris, while Taukei’aho and Damian McKenzie were on the bench.

Anton Lienert-Brown, Rieko Ioane and Beauden Barrett all featured in the All Blacks’ last Test in Baltimore – and all three were involved in Paris. And next year, of course, Savea will be available again once he’s recovered from shoulder surgery.

With Cam Roigard, Fletcher Newell, Tupou Vaa’i, Luke Jacobson, Tamaiti Williams, Caleb Clarke and Leicester Fainga’anuku also part of the 2023 squad and all likely to be in Rennie’s mix when fully fit, the same question has to be asked of the All Blacks about how much they have refreshed in this cycle.

Quinn Tupaea would likely have made the 2023 World Cup but for injury and Josh Lord had won a few caps and was on the edge of the squad.

Really, the only new discoveries since have been Fabian Holland, Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai, Kyle Preston, Josh Moorby, Fehi Fineanganofo and Leroy Carter – and not all of them are likely to make the cut when World Cup selection comes around.

The turnover in this cycle has been exceptionally low, but perhaps the one key difference in the All Blacks compared with the Springboks is the age profile.

The returning trio of Barrett, Mo’unga and Frizell will all be 33 at the World Cup, and other than Taylor and Beauden Barrett (35) the All Blacks will have fewer players in red flag territory and a lower average age than the Boks.

Rennie again dropped a strong hint Frizell is going to have to get himself fitter to play the game the All Blacks want.

Rennie is clearly confident there is more juice to squeeze out of his old guard. In the case of Barrett, Rennie hinted he felt no longer having the captaincy will be empowering.

“When I got appointed,” Rennie said, “I spoke a lot to Scooter [Barrett] and it was more around how he found the captaincy, the leadership group and lots of things around that.

“I think he was a bit of a reluctant captain. He was very proud to do that for his country but…

“We’re rapt to have him back. He brings a lot of experience. He’s an excellent player – one of the best locks in the world.

“While he won’t captain the side he’ll play an important part from a leadership perspective for us.”

As for Frizell, Rennie has had a good line of sight on him having been at Kobe while the bruising flanker was with Panasonic.

“He didn’t play a lot this year, he got injured in round one, then came back and got injured in a warm-up and barely played,” Rennie said.

“But the first two years, he was outstanding and Toshiba won both titles in that time. He had a massive impact and they certainly missed him.”

Frizell, at 1.96m (6ft 5ins) and 114kg is precisely the sort of athlete the All Blacks have been missing. Simon Parker is larger than Frizell, but doesn’t have the same explosiveness, ball-carrying punch or defensive crunch. Frizell, at his best in 2023, was as close as the All Blacks have come to finding a like-for-like replacement for Jerome Kaino and Rennie is hopeful the 32-year-old can get back to those same heights in the next 12 months.

But to do so, Rennie again dropped a strong hint Frizell is going to have to get himself fitter to play the game the All Blacks want.

“It’s awesome to have him back – and he’s got better,” Rennie said. “He played 40 minutes [NPC] and looked pretty shattered in his first effort, it’s just been time on the grass for him.

“But he’s certainly having a big impact on the game physically, he’s got soft touches and he’s very experienced.

“We gave him a call to let him know there were some things we wanted to see more of. Certainly to get back on his feet and back in the game quicker and more repeat efforts.

In the fly-half stakes, Rennie has said many times he’s committed to Ruben Love being the first choice 10 and he feels Mo’unga can mentor the youngster.

“The number six jersey has been very competitive this year. We’ve used Simon Parker there, we’ve used Peter Lakai. We can play Wallace [Sititi] there, Tupes [Vaa’i].

“We’ll work that out, but we’re pretty clear on what we want out of that jersey. We’ve got really good options and it’s great having Shannon back to put a bit of pressure on that spot.”

In the fly-half stakes, Rennie has said many times he’s committed to Ruben Love being the first choice 10 and he feels Mo’unga can mentor the youngster while also operating as a much-needed alternative option because McKenzie and Beauden Barrett are now considered full-backs.

Mo’unga, though, is also there to compete for the starting spot and with Love injured, the veteran will likely both start Bledisloe Tests.

He also started the last Test in the USA where his impact was limited – but not necessarily discouraging.

“We just weren’t accurate enough in Baltimore to maybe allow Richie to have a bigger impact on the game,” Rennie says.

“If you’re constantly turning the ball over, the game’s slower and, obviously, it was nice to give him a bit of time to run the ship, and I think he will be better for it.”