‘Bit like my debut’: The 2am wake-up that led Richie Mo’unga back to All Blacks

Richie Mo’unga hadn’t played for the All Blacks in the three years since the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final when Dave Rennie tried to get in touch, looking to make a forced change to the squad for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in South Africa.

With Billy Proctor ruled out of the tour with a fractured shoulder blade, the rugby world waited to see if Mo’unga would return to the All Blacks fold. Rennie reached out, but the experienced playmaker didn’t see the message right away.

Mo’unga had gone to bed earlier than normal that night and was already asleep when Rennie made the call at about 9:00 pm NZT. The seven-time Super Rugby champion woke up at about 2:00 am and noticed the missed message, which sparked a remarkably eventful day.

“I can’t go back to sleep now knowing that he needs to talk to me. But I think when I messaged back, he didn’t even reply and he just called me in the morning,” Mo’unga told RugbyPass late last month in Sydney, while wearing the player-issued All Blacks polo.

Mo’unga started the long-haul trip to South Africa that afternoon, with the squad update going live to the public on August 12. The then 56-cap veteran suited up against the Lions in Johannesburg and started the fourth Test against the Springboks.

“I’d been away for three seasons, I’d come back and I was meeting guys for the first time in the team, guys that had made their Super Rugby debut while I was away,” Mo’unga said.

“I was coming back into a different team, a team run by a different head coach, someone that I’d never worked with before. It was a bit like my debut.

“I was just so excited and I was so pumped to be back in the mix and just get to know the boys and learn.”

Mo’unga wore the No. 10 jersey in the World Cup Final, with the Springboks defending their crown 12-11. As the entire All Blacks squad did, Mo’unga walked past the Webb Ellis Cup with a silver medal draped around his neck, having fallen just short of the sport’s ultimate prize.

It was the end of a decorated chapter in New Zealand for Mo’unga, who had penned a three-year deal with Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo in Japan Rugby League One. Mo’unga helped Toshiba take out back-to-back titles in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.

But two years out from Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, New Zealand Rugby announced in August 2025 that Mo’unga was returning. The first five-eighth had penned an 18-month deal with NZR, the Crusaders and Canterbury.

“They were all different narratives about me before I even set foot back in New Zealand, even while I was in Japan, about what was going to happen and what should happen and people with their opinions,” he said.

“If anyone knows me, I’m a team-first person. Obviously I’m a competitor and want to playa and want to be in that 10 jersey, but the best thing I want is what’s best for the team.

“Just having the opportunity to be in the [All Blacks] environment just meant so much to me. I thanked Rens when he called me… it confirmed for me when I was in South Africa, I was like, ‘sh** this is why I’m coming back.’ This is why I was longing to come back to be in this environment because you miss it and then when you come back, you just understand [that] it requires the best of you, it requires you to be world-class with everything and that’s what I was missing.”

Ruben Love was ruled out of the final RGR Test, which opened the door for Mo’unga’s return to the Test arena. The No. 10 linked up with Cam Roigard in the halves, and the two were set to continue that combination against the Wallabies too.

Mo’unga was selected in the run-on side before Bledisloe I at Eden Park before tearing his calf at a Tuesday training session. The 32-year-old remembers running like normal and then, after going to accelerate, “I felt it go.”

“I always see these challenges as a real good opportunity to test my attitude.

“It’s footy, these things are all part of the game that we play. It’s not the first and probably won’t be the last time something like this happens.”

It’s been almost three months since Rennie first called Mo’unga, with the out-half holding down a spot in that squad despite the injury setback. Mo’unga was named in New Zealand’s squad for the November Nations Championship, which starts this weekend.

Rennie confirmed last week that Mo’unga is back running but still won’t be available to take on Scotland at Murrayfield, with Damian McKenzie, Beauden Barrett and Josh Jacomb the other options to start at first five.

“He’s a good chance for Wales. So we made a decision that it’s better to bring him in. He’s a strong chance, obviously from the World Cup perspective, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job around him,” Rennie revealed.

“We took him to Sydney, so our MedFit guys could spend a lot of time building him up. He’s run really well over the last week, and we’ll continue to build it when we get to Scotland. But likely available for Wales.”