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Ex-All Black Richie Mo’unga teases return to ‘Test match setting’ in 2025

David Havili, Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Smith of the All Blacks sing the national anthem ahead of The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Argentina Pumas at FMG Stadium Waikato on September 03, 2022 in Hamilton, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Richie Mo’unga is “really interested in playing” for the AUNZ Invitational XV against the British and Irish Lions on July 12. Former All Blacks coach Ian Foster has invited Mo’unga to play for the representative side, who will take on the Lions at Adelaide Oval.

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Mo’unga has continued to star since leaving the Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby at the end of 2023, with the first five-eighth leading Toshiba Brave Lupus to a title last season. All Blacks coach Scott Robertson wanted to bring the playmaker back to New Zealand for a reason.

‘Razor’ Robertson wasn’t able to lure Mo’unga back to New Zealand’s shores, so a return to the All Blacks in 2025 isn’t on the cards, but representative honours are shaping up as a likely reward during the Lions Tour of Australia.

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New Zealand and Australia will put their rivalry aside by joining forces on the rugby field for the first time since the 1980s. Fans have speculated on the potential makeup of this team, with the likes of Joey Manu and Michael Hooper also tipped to suit up against the Lions.

Rugby Australia announced in March that Foster will join the AUNZ coaching staff, although the rest of the management group is yet to be announced. Mo’unga revealed after last weekend’s heavy loss to Shizuoka that Foster has asked him about playing for the team.

“Yes, Foz has spoken to me about the game,” Mo’unga told RugbyJP.com

“I’m really interested in playing, it’s with my agents now.

“I’ll have to ask Toshiba for permission to play next.

“I miss the big Test match setting, the big arenas. This will be the closest I’ll get to it while I’m in Japan.”

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2015 Rugby World Cup winner Aaron Smith recently expressed a desire to play for the AUNZ XV while also revealing to RugbyPass that at least “three or four other All Blacks” based in Japan want to take part in the historic fixture as well.

Smith plays alongside Manua and Hooper at Japan Rugby League One side Toyota Verblitz, who is co-coached by Foster and Sir Steve Hansen. When asked about potentially playing for the team, Smith didn’t hesitate in reply.

“There’s been more chats around it. I’ve only recently found out [Foster’s] doing it. He’s talked to me about it,” Smith told RugbyPass.

“Probably the funniest thing was getting a text from around three or four other All Blacks going, ‘What’s going on? Can we play or how do you?’

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“I think it’s still very much up in the air around who and what.

“There’s been murmurs, I’ve talked to a few boys, I’m not going to name names but they have said, ‘Hey, what’s the go? Are you going to play, or if you got asked would you play?’

“It’s just one of those things. When you get to this part of your career, those opportunities are hard to say no to and very rare.

“To think about the history of the ANZACs and what it means to our country. I was very blessed, my father got me veery upskilled around ANZAC Day and what our men did for our country in the wars and showing remembrance.

“I just think that would be a really cool thing to be a part of if I was asked and if that opportunity comes. I’d take it very seriously if I was asked and give it my best.

“For me, it’d be a very special game to be a part of.”

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Comments

8 Comments
G
GP 4 days ago

Hopefully the great Richie Mo’unga gets to play for the ANZAC team against the Lions. It will be a special occasion. Richie is playing great rugby for Brave Lupus in Japan . He is a special talent.

H
Head high tackle 4 days ago

Based on what? He is an average talent with the record to prove it. A 55 test Ab with an average win % for an AB and 2 world cup losses to his name. I suppose this Lions game may prepare him for playing the next WC for Tonga.

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Flankly 55 minutes ago
Late Makazole Mapimpi try earns the Sharks win away to Edinburgh

Jake White described this as the strongest Sharks lineup ever. There is no doubt that it is at least an impressive roster. They did win, which is obviously an achievement against a good Edinburgh side. However …


For much of the first half Edinburgh seemed easily able to create 2 on 1 opportunities on both wings, with the defensive wingers biting in on the inside runner and cover defence being AWOL. Conversely the Sharks showed little ability to get behind the Edinburgh defensive line, with the sole exception of a nicely-exploited Am mismatch against a second row (which led to the Fassi try).


In general the Sharks, with their full complement of Bok firepower, do not look that dangerous in attack, and while tackling was good on the whole and goal line defence was impressive at times, they were exhibiting surprising breakdowns in open play defensive structures.


Also, the Sharks continue to be inaccurate, with material impact on the scoreboard. Missing two very kickable penalties is not the way to be the best. It looked to me like the Sharks contestable kicks were not well enough executed, and were too hard to recover.


Not sure what the running attack was trying to do, but my guess is that they were trying to pull off a Harlequins-style bash-and-offload game off of 12 (Esterhuizen). That’s not a terrible idea with the personnel available, but it would require creativity and a precision on second phase that was not in evidence.


Lastly, you have to have better discipline. It’s great that the team can cope with a 13 vs 14 period (of almost 10 minutes), but smart teams a avoid cards.


Having said that it was great to see the win. I thought that Edinburgh were cynical and niggly. Always hanging around on the wrong side of the breakdown, lots of intentional obstruction, illegal dummying at the base of the ruck, etc. They played a dirty game and the ref tolerated it. Always good to see that not succeed.


Overall the “best Sharks lineup ever” scraped the win, but under-performed their Bok-laden potential. Again.

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