Dave Rennie explains Noah Hotham omission and possible Carter switch

All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has explained his decision to leave out a fourth halfback for the Greatest Rivalry Tour of South Africa, after confirming his 44-man squad on Monday.

Rennie added Siale Lauaki, George Bell, Ollie Norris, Fabian Holland, Ethan Blackadder, Semesi Tupou Ta’eiloa, Josh Jacomb, Rieko Ioane, and Emoni Narawa as the ten additional players to tour South Africa.

One player who is among those overlooked is Crusaders halfback Noah Hotham, who many believed would feature in Rennie’s initial 34-man squad for the Nations Championship.

The new All Blacks head coach opted for Crusaders teammate Kyle Preston and Chiefs halfback Cortez Ratima over Hotham for the three Nations Championship fixtures against France, Italy, and Ireland.

Preston, who played most of his Super Rugby Pacific minutes in 2026 off the bench, didn’t feature at all for the All Blacks during July’s three Tests, with Ratima taking up the bench spot on all three occasions.

With an extra ten players on the plane to South Africa, for a bumper seven-week, eight-game tour, a fourth halfback was expected to join Rennie’s squad ahead of the tour.

But Rennie explained that if it came down to it, Chiefs winger Leroy Carter could shift into a halfback role, having played the position through the age groups.

“He [Carter] may well cover that role if we wanted to go six-two split. Having someone who can play nine and play wing gives us a bit more versatility.

“Obviously, Noah Hotham’s the obvious choice as the fourth halfback, and if we were to get an injury, then we’d bring in a replacement.”

In 2024, former Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan said they signed Carter from the All Blacks Sevens knowing the speedster could play both positions.

“We love his competitive edge, abrasive style and that he is a legitimate hybrid player – comfortable on both the wing or at halfback,” McMillan said.

When asked about how the three halfbacks will work together during the first two weeks of the tour, when they play three domestic South African sides before the first Test, Rennie said they’re keen to see what Ratima and Preston are made of.

“Cam’s [Roigard] has had a lot of footy. We’re keen to get a lot more rugby into the other two boys, and so they’ll share a big chunk of the load in the first three weeks.”