Reshuffle required as Wallace Sititi withdraws from All Blacks' tour opener

Wallace Sititi has withdrawn from the opening match of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour due to illness, and will be replaced in the starting team by All Blacks rookie Anton Segner.

The late scratch has triggered a minor reshuffle in New Zealand’s loose forwards, with Peter Lakai shifting from the openside flank to the now-vacated No.8 jersey to accommodate Segner at No.7. The make-up of the bench has remained the same, with Ethan Blackadder remaining in the No.20 jersey.

The All Blacks described Sititi’s illness as “minor”, suggesting he is not expected to be sidelined for long.

The young powerhouse’s opportunity to play against the Stormers came after a July campaign in which he produced a lacklustre performance against Italy in Wellington and then missed selection for the match against Ireland. New All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie explained the omission by revealing he had given Sititi some things to work on.

“It’s fair to say he wasn’t at his best last weekend,” Rennie told reporters last month. “He was pretty good off the bench the week before, and there’s a lot of competition for places there.

“He will play a lot of footy for us this year, but he’s got a reasonably clear message around what we need to see out of him, and I’m really happy with the response we’ve got from him so far this week.”

Reflecting on his efforts against Italy when asked earlier this week, Sititi acknowledged it wasn’t up to the All Black standard.

“The All Blacks is a high-performance environment that expects the best, and when you don’t play your best, they get someone else to do it, because there’s a lot of quality out here,” the flanker said. “Obviously, that’s tough, but at the same time we support each other, and we look after each other.

“I’m just trying to enjoy my footy; that’s when I play my best. That’s the focus.”

While Sititi’s illness setback comes as a blow to his campaign, it opens the door for Segner to make his first start in an All Blacks jersey after two strong showings off the bench in July.