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'It's been tough for Beauden': Dave Rennie explains All Blacks' No.10 switch
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Dave Rennie has shed light on the All Blacks‘ No.10 selection plan for the Greatest Rivalry tour after announcing a change at the position for the first time this year. The coach has turned to experience for the series decider in Baltimore, dropping Ruben Love in favour of Richie Mo’unga and bringing Beauden Barrett onto the bench.
Mo’unga served as All Blacks game-driver in a hotly contested midweek game against the Lions in Johannesburg three weeks ago, in what were his first minutes in the black jersey since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, albeit a non-Test match. Having reclaimed his New Zealand eligibility after three years in Japan, the 32-year-old will now don the famous black No.10 shirt in the international arena for the first time in 1050 days.
Rennie told reporters in Baltimore this week that Mo’unga’s opportunity had been decided ahead of the third game of the Test series, with rising star Ruben Love notified in advance.
“We talked about it a couple of weeks ago, that regardless of the result in Soweto, whether we came here up 2-1 or down 2-1, we were going to start Richie,” Rennie explained.
“He’s been in the environment for a while, he’s got a really clear understanding of the game that we want to play. We’re keen to give him that opportunity.
“Ruben’s gone really well; he’s played the first six Tests of the year. When I spoke to him, I stressed that last week was probably the biggest Test the All Blacks have played since the World Cup final, and we trusted him to run the ship ahead of three more experienced 10s. That highlights where we see him.
“But we’re keen to give Richie a crack, and he’s prepared really well this week.”
Meanwhile, the All Blacks’ most-capped back of all time, Beauden Barrett, has had to bide his time to begin the 2026 Test campaign, missing selection in all six international fixtures of the Dave Rennie era thus far in what the coach concedes has been a “tough” period for him.
However, Baltimore’s Greatest Rivalry decider will bring with it a chance for Barrett to bring up his 145th Test, just three shy of Richie McCaw, who is second on the all-time list to Sam Whitelock on 153.
Rennie said Barrett’s name has “constantly” featured in selection debates, but this final Test of the series against the world champion Springboks had long been seen as the appropriate time to “make those shifts”. Naming him in the No.23 jersey, Rennie says Barrett has the chance to “make a bit of a statement and put a bit of pressure on us long-term, selection-wise.”
He went on to explain the make-up of the All Blacks bench, which consists of Kyle Preston and Rieko Ioane alongside Barrett as the backline reserves.
“We just felt that the mix was good. Obviously, with Rieks on the bench, he covers midfield and outside back, and with KP covering nine, it gives us a chance to have genuine 10/15 cover if we lost someone,” Rennie shared.
“It’s been tough for Beauden; he’s been sat on the sidelines for the first six Tests of the year. He’s had a phenomenal contribution to the group, and he’s trained really well. I thought he’s played really well at 15 for us, and so that’s probably where he’ll get his crack on the weekend.
“But he’s been great, so it’s awesome to give him his opportunity.”
The All Blacks scaled back their squad size for the final Test of the RGR series, and while young playmaker Josh Jacomb was one of the casualties, selectors retained the four established 10s at their disposal: Love, Mo’unga, Barrett and Damian McKenzie. The squad will have to shrink again for the final campaign of the year, which consists of the Bledisloe Cup Tests and the Nations Championship, but Rennie feels the All Blacks can “potentially” still carry all four players.
McKenzie has played exclusively at fullback under Rennie while Barrett has watched from the stands, but the coach wouldn’t let the conversation become purely about Love vs Mo’unga for the No.10 jersey.
“Beauden’s not out of the reckoning from a 10 point of view, and obviously Damian plays 10. So, between those guys, we feel we’ve got really good depth at 10 and 15,” he insisted.
“There’s no doubt Richie’s come in and been excellent. I think if you’d asked Ruben about the help he’s got, Beauden’s been great for him, and Damian and Richie. That’s the idea; for us to win, we need everyone going well. And while they’re competing against each other, they’re also helping each other grow. Richie’s got a lot of experience.
“Ruben’s been really smart; he’s got beside a lot of those guys and talked a lot of footy. It’s really good for our group.”
