'He was always a bit jealous of me': Segner on his First XV captain Fainga'anuku

One of the names at the forefront of the All Blacks bolter conversations is heading to the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific qualifying finals, where he’ll be lining up against not only his former First XV captain, but the first friend he made after moving to New Zealand to pursue his rugby dream as a young teenager.

Anton Segner and the Blues are Christchurch-bound for the first week of the playoffs, looking to do what no team has done before and beat the Crusaders at their home ground during the knockout stages.

Segner has been selected to wear his preferred No.7 jersey for the contest in the continued absence of Dalton Papali’i. The Tasman product had started at openside flanker just three times in four years coming into the 2026 campaign, but is now cemented as the future of the position for the Blues with Papali’i’s impending departure.

Since debuting for the club in 2022, he’s started at blindside flanker 24 times and No.8 five times.

“I wear the number seven on my back, but my role, apart from what side of the scrum I’m on, doesn’t really change, because I’m still in the lineout and I still do everything that traditionally a six would do,” Segner told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.

“But there’s aspects of all three (loose forward positions) that I like. I definitely enjoy seven, because you’re a bit quicker to the first breakdown, and you can have a look at that a bit more, and obviously the defensive aspect that you get, you’re involved around the collision more, which I enjoy. But then, as a traditional six, you’re obviously involved with the lineout and the set piece more, and over the last few years, I’ve really enjoyed that part of the game too. And then at No.8, when there is an opportunity to play number eight, I enjoy the ball-carrying aspect of that too.

“So I enjoy all three. But if I had to pick one, seven is pretty fun.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

4

Draws

0

Wins

1

Average Points scored

27

21

First try wins

60%

Home team wins

80%

With his latest performance in the Blues’ loss against the Chiefs, Segner overtook lock Sam Darry as the Blues’ most-used lineout jumper this season, and has two more lineout steals to his name than the All Black second-row.

Even while playing him at openside, Blues coach Vern Cotter continues to utilise Segner’s lineout abilities, a sign that the game has become more skill-set-oriented than strictly sticking to the positional roles of your jersey number.

The 24-year-old said he “100 per cent” agreed that the loose forward roles have largely now morphed into one.

“We’re hybrids, that’s for sure. We’re one of those positions that has to be able to do everything. I mean, we have to tackle, we have to run, we have to be good at set piece, we have to pass the ball and have all those skill sets. So, it’s definitely challenging, and we have to work hard on top of it; everyone’s supposed to work hard, but I think, as loosies, the running meters combined with the collisions that you’re involved with, I think it’s right up there.”

Opposite Segner at this weekend’s sold-out One New Zealand Stadium will be Leicester Fainga’anuku, who shifted from the backline into the loose forwards 11 weeks into the Crusaders’ season and has found a new home for himself in the pack.

The pair are far from strangers.

“It’s funny because he was my first ever mate when I first came to New Zealand. I went to Nelson College with him, and he was my first XV captain my first year here,” Segner, who moved from Germany to New Zealand in 2017, reflected with a grin

“Because of who he was, first XV captain, and because he was Leicester, he was able to get me a Year 13 room, although I was just Year 11. And I’m pretty sure that year, 2017, was the first time we spoke about him playing in the loose forwards, because I was obviously a loose forward coming over here, and he was always a bit jealous of me that I was a loose forward, and he was playing fullback.

“But he was getting jackal turnovers all over the show, and that was one of the challenges that we had in between the two of us, who could get more turnovers at Nelson College.

“So it’s really cool to see him playing loose forward, because I always sort of knew that he had it in him. He loves the contact, he loves the turnover, he loves the pick and go. He’s a hell of a threat.

“I remember when we played them down there a couple of weeks ago, he put those two kicks in. It’s pretty handy when you’ve got a number seven that can step up in a pod and just chip it over the top or put a grubber through. Maybe that’s something that I have to work on myself.”

While Segner boasts better numbers in the traditional, work-horse flanker metrics on defence, Fainga’anuku’s attacking game has lit up Super Rugby in his first season back from a two-year stint in France.

With the most carries and defenders beaten of anyone at the Crusaders, containing Fainga’anuku is one of the Blues’ top priorities for the qualifying final.

“I think it’s just being aware of him, because you don’t want to change your whole defence structure just based on one player, because it obviously opens up opportunities elsewhere,” Segner analysed.

“But we have a system that means on defence, you can’t really cover everything, but just being aware that he’s one of their main ball carriers. So if we know if we can take him out of the game, then that’s a big part of their game that’s sort of eliminated. It’s far from everything, because the Crusaders have lots to offer, but he’s obviously a big part of their game, and a good mate of mine. So I don’t want to lose him.

“When I was down there last, we got McDonald’s after the game, and I asked ‘how do you like playing in the forwards?’ He says ‘I love it, but man, it’s so busy.’

“Late in our game, one of the loosies came on and he made the shift to 13, and he said that that’s actually when he had a bit of a moment to breathe because as loose forwards you’re always doing something.

“You can see on the field he’s got padding all over, and sort of looks like an NFL player. He’s got headgear on, too. I gave him a bit of smack about the lineout straps, because they came off three minutes into the game, but I think they stay on for the rest of the game now.”

Catch the full interview with All Blacks hopeful Anton Segner on RugbyPass TV.