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What Tony Johnson is hearing about the vacant All Blacks assistant role
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All Blacks captain Scott Barrett set for non-playing sabbatical in 2026
By Ned Lester
The Crusaders have named additional cover at lock in their 2026 squad in anticipation of All Blacks captain Scott Barrett’s non-playing sabbatical.
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The exact details on the sabbatical are still to be finalised, and may not be known until after the season kicks off in March. Regardless of what timeline eventuates, Otago lock Will Tucker will spend the 2026 campaign with the Christchurch-based outfit.
It’s not the first time the Crusaders have found themselves in this situation, as it mimics the absence of Codie Taylor in the 2024 season, when the Test centurion sat out the opening 11 rounds of the competition.
“The detail will unfold as the season does,” Penney told reporters in Christchurch on Thursday. “But we’re predicting a little bit like Codie, a couple of years ago, coming in late and adding his value at the back end.
“Scoot (Barrett) has had a massive workload over the last few years, heading into another big year next year with the South African tour and then the World Cup, and he’s had an option to have a bit of a rest period.”
There is sure to have been plenty of suitors had Barrett looked to a playing sabbatical offshore, but instead, it looks as though the 31-year-old is after some downtime with family.
The second row unit the Crusaders have named includes a trio of up-and-comers in Tahlor Cahill, Liam Jack, and recent All Blacks XV debutant Jamie Hannah. Maori All Black Antonio Shalfoon, 28, is in the early stages of his Super Rugby career, but has a handful of NPC campaigns with Tasman under his belt.
The addition of Tucker, who stands at 202 cm, ensures the size of the Crusaders’ lineout.
“We’ve got a really great young group of middle rowers who are going to get a great opportunity, and Will is a wee bit of a security blanket in that area if we copped a couple of injuries,” Penney added.
“And it allows us to use players that can cross over from loose forward to lock to really focus on being the best loose forwards they can be.”
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