Selections aside, Dave Rennie is pushing the right buttons with All Blacks

The All Blacks’ 1987 Rugby World Cup-winning squad consisted of 26 players.

It’s hard not to think of that when you see an initial squad of 34 picked to play the first three Tests of this season and contemplate that 44 players will then tour South Africa.

Everyone wants winners and losers out of any team naming. Frankly, when the net’s cast this wide, those kinds of categories are redundant.

Forty-five men played Test rugby for New Zealand in 2025. So, if you missed the 34 to play France, Italy and Ireland, there’s every chance you’ll be in the 44 that goes to South Africa.

Throw in the guys currently unavailable due to injury, and the others who’ll inevitably get hurt during the 2026 campaign, and as many as 50 blokes will probably pull the jumper on this year.

That’s a lot of All Blacks.

New players are always exciting. I feel for Anton Segner, who potentially won’t play a lot and whose greatest moment in rugby is having the shine taken off it due to the unnecessary disquiet about Du’Plessis Kirifi’s omission.

Xavier Numia is a very admirable player, but could be a bit of a placeholder while Tamaiti Williams recovers from his back issue. And then there’s the wings.

Fehi Fineanganogo and Josh Moorby are worthy of their selections, but the All Blacks haven’t been average in recent seasons because there’s been no one to play on the wing. I hope all the new boys go well, but I doubt any are going to make a material difference to the team’s fortunes.

Making Ardie Savea captain might, as could giving Rieko Ioane a spell.

Savea’s started to resemble a guy that you need inside the tent. He gave the distinct impression of not enjoying being an All Black under the previous coaching regime, and I imagine he’s a man whose opinions and actions influence others.

He wouldn’t be captain now if they didn’t.

It will help the harmony of the team if Savea is fully invested in the cause.

As for Ioane, I assume we haven’t seen the last of him. But his temporary exclusion is overdue on a couple of fronts.

People can’t be picked on reputation or past deeds forever. Ioane has been an ineffective All Black for some time, and it’s right that he’s been left out.

More broadly, though, this is a lesson for others. If a big player, a name player and an experienced and feted player such as Ioane can be surplus to requirements, then you can too.

I hope some other stalwarts of the All Black backline recognise they don’t belong as of right either.

You want players to feel a sense of belonging within the team, but never to lose the fear that they’re only ever a couple of bad games away from being dropped. There’s been too few consequences for underwhelming performances in recent seasons.

Every team looks all right on paper, and this 34-man squad is no exception, but its performances that matter.

That said, I continue to be encouraged by what I’m seeing and hearing. Head coach Dave Rennie cut a commanding figure at Monday’s team announcement and combated questions with ease.

There’s sound reasoning to who’s in the squad and who’s not. It’s obvious that he knows how he wants the team to play and which players he believes are capable of achieving it.

Whether they’re in the squad or out of it, no player will be left confused about what his job is or where he stands. The communication is clear and concise and should inspire confidence from everyone.

We can talk about winners and losers once we’ve seen how Rennie’s team goes at next year’s World Cup.