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Ian Foster and Sam Cane retained as All Blacks name squad for Rugby Championship

By Alex McLeod
Ian Foster and Sam Cane. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Ian Foster and Sam Cane have been retained as All Blacks coach and captain, respectively, for the Rugby Championship.

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The All Blacks confirmed on Friday that both individuals have kept their roles within the national set-up despite a historic home series defeat to Ireland last week, which was labelled as “not acceptable” by New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson.

Despite that, Foster and Cane have been kept in their respective positions, despite recent media reports that the latter was set to be axed as skipper of the national team.

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Instead, Cane will lead a 36-man All Blacks squad to South Africa for two tests against the Springboks next month.

All up, Foster has made only two changes to his squad that faced Ireland, dropping France-bound prop Karl Tu’inukuafe and debutant loose forward Pita Gus Sowakula in favour of Ethan de Groot and Shannon Frizell.

Three additional players – prop Tyrel Lomax, utility back Braydon Ennor and uncapped lock Josh Dickson – will travel with the side to South Africa as reserves.

Lomax, Ennor and Dickson are providing cover for the suspended Angus Ta’avao and injured duo Brodie Retallick and Jack Goodhue.

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Joe Moody, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ethan Blackadder and Josh Lord were all not considered due to injury, while Damian McKenzie was deemed ineligible after his sabbatical in Japan.

“We have taken on board the lessons from the Steinlager Series and are excited about looking forward to the next phase of our test season,” Foster said in a statement.

“The Rugby Championship plus the Bledisloe Cup remain our top priorities. This is a real chance to show what we are about as a team.”

No comment has yet been provided about the status of Foster’s assistant coaches, all of whom were reported to be in the firing line in the wake of series loss.

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The All Blacks will open their Rugby Championship campaign against the Springboks at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on August 6. Both sides will then square off again at Ellis Park in Johannesburg the following week.

All Blacks squad to play in Rugby Championship

Hookers

Dane Coles
Samisoni Taukei’aho
Codie Taylor

Props

Aidan Ross
George Bower
Nepo Laulala
Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Ethan de Groot
Angus Ta’avao

Locks

Scott Barrett
Brodie Retallick
Patrick Tuipulotu
Tupou Vaa’i
Samuel Whitelock

Loose Forwards

Sam Cane (c)
Shannon Frizell 
Akira Ioane
Dalton Papalii 
Ardie Savea
Hoskins Sotutu

Halfbacks

Finlay Christie
Folau Fakatava
Aaron Smith

First five–eighths

Beauden Barrett
Richie Mo’unga
Stephen Perofeta

Midfielders

Jack Goodhue
David Havili
Rieko Ioane
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
Quinn Tupaea

Outside backs

Jordie Barrett
Caleb Clarke
Leicester Fainga’anuku
Will Jordan
Sevu Reece

Replacement players travelling to South Africa:

Josh Dickson
Braydon Ennor
Tyrel Lomax

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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