Former All Black Ngani Laumape one of two added to AUNZ squad for Lions

Former All Black Ngani Laumape and Blues front-rower Joshua Fusitu’a will get the chance to tackle the British & Irish Lions next month, joining another four New Zealanders in the AUNZ Invitational XV squad for the match on July 12.

Rugby Australia announced the first four players from New Zealand who had committed to play for the AUNZ, with Crusaders captain David Havili headlining that group. Former All Blacks Shannon Frizell, Shaun Stevenson and Folau Fakatava have also joined the side.

This will be the first time since the late 1980s that Australia and New Zealand have combined forces on the rugby field, and it’ll be the last match for the Lions before they face the Wallabies in the first Test at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

Les Kiss & Matt Faessler Reds presser

Les Kiss & Matt Faessler Reds presser

Laumape scored eight tries in 15 Tests for the All Blacks and was named in the World XV in 2013. At club level, Laumape has crossed for a staggering 59 tries in 134 games across stints with the Hurricanes, Stade Francais and Kobelco Steelers.

The 32-year-old will be back in Super Rugby next season, putting pen to paper with Moana Pasifika under coach Tana Umaga. Moana have announced that 15 players are leaving the club, including winger Kyren Taumoefolau, and Ardie Savea is also off to Japan on sabbatical.

Fusitu’a is another big-name inclusion for the AUNZ, with some talking about the Blues prop as a bolter All Blacks bolter before their first squad of 2025 was named. The 24-year-old has played 37 games for the Blues and was part of the title-winning side last season.

While the Blues fall short in their quest for back-to-back championships, it was still a season to remember for Fusitu’a, who was recently named the Blues’ 2025 Player of the Year – having started 12 of 16 appearances.

“There is plenty of excitement about this fixture, and that’s been demonstrated by the number of quality international players eager to be involved,” Rugby Australia Director of High Performance, Peter Horne, said in a statement after the first four New Zealanders were announced.

“We are delighted with the quality of the New Zealand contingent announced today and look forward to naming more players as the squad comes together.

“We want this team to entertain the big Adelaide crowd and provide the Lions with a tough contest as they head into their three-Test series with the Wallabies.

“The last time the Lions played a combined Australia-New Zealand side, it went right down to the wire – and we’re hoping to deliver another competitive contest.”

There are 66 All Blacks caps between the first four New Zealanders that were named on Monday, with Laumape’s increasing that tally to more than 80. While Fusitu’a is uncapped at Test level, many would consider the front-rower to be an All Black-in-waiting.

Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss will take charge of the team, while former All Blacks mentor Ian Foster serves as one of the assistant coaches. Western Force’s Simon Cron and Zane Hilton from the Queensland Reds were also work under Kiss.