Tana Umaga sends All Blacks selection message ahead of final Test audition

No selection is set in stone for the All Blacks according to assistant coach Tana Umaga, who is preparing his troops for one final game before the Test series against the Springboks gets underway next week in Johannesburg.

Umaga and his fellow Kiwi coaches have steered New Zealand to five consecutive victories to begin their 2026 season, albeit the two most recent have come against non-Test sides. But the lesser opposition has presented rare opportunities to experiment with selections while the Stormers and Sharks have still posed stern challenges up front.

An extra emphasis on one key selection will arrive in South Africa on Friday in the form of Richie Mo’unga, who joins the squad as an injury replacement for Billy Proctor after three years out of the Test environment.

Umaga addressed the media before the replacement call was made, sending a clear message that no jersey is safe.

“Look, nothing’s set in stone at this stage and everyone’s got an opportunity,” he said. “We came over with teams already set in place so that everyone got that opportunity to push their case.

“Obviously it’s a great exercise; you put a team down, and you see how close that is once these three games are done. Already there’s been some guys that have really pushed their case forward, and that’s all we’re looking for: everyone having the ability to compete. And if they want to play in Test matches against South Africa, then they have to put their best foot forward.”

Whether Mo’unga will get that opportunity on the tour remains to be seen, but a midweek clash against the Lions does linger as a potential audition for the 32-year-old. With four Tests in the coming series, there’s sure to be rotations in the week-to-week selections, too.

One area Umaga highlighted as a work in progress is relevant to Mo’unga’s potential role in the team: defending contestable kicks.

“I think we did a lot better in handling the high ball,” Umaga reflected, casting an eye over his side’s performance against the Sharks. “There’s still a bit of work for us to be done around tap-backs and picking up scraps and things like that. And that’s just getting used to that style of footy and just getting better at some of the things that we’re putting in place.

“Their ability to see space, their handling in that area, our work rate off the ball, to get in those positions, to take those opportunities. And from a defensive point of view, I thought they were very good at executing the plan that we talked about.

“We didn’t get challenged that much, but when we did, I thought they stood up very well.”