The defining moments of Caleb Tangitau's meteoric rise to All Blacks XV

Caleb Tangitau has a knack for turning a bad situation into a good one. Three games in two seasons with the Blues forced the All Blacks Sevens flyer to migrate south to Dunedin, where he flourished in Super Rugby Pacific with six tries in seven matches for the Highlanders until a groin injury ended his season.

Auckland were horrific in the NPC. New Zealand’s largest and most decorated Union suffered their worst season ever with eight defeats in ten matches. This was no fault of Tangitau, who scored three tries in each of their wins against Manawat? (52-29) and Tasman (29-21) and managed additional tries against Ranfurly Shield holders Otago and Wellington.

On his All Blacks XV debut against the Barbarians at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, West London, on Saturday, Tangitau revived the visitors’ flagging fortunes with two tries.

Down 19-0, Tangitau scored a try in the 39th minute following a centrefield scrum which saw Hurricanes No.8 Devan Flanders offload sharply to Chiefs halfback Xaiver Roe, who flung it 20 metres to Tangitau, who did the rest.

In the 47th minute, a Tangitau chip and chase caged the Barbarians on their tryline. Suddenly, the ball spat loose, and a gleeful Roe pounced for a try.

While the Barbarians won possession back on the restart, they lost it with their first carry into contact, and a David Havili kick through saw Tangitau go close to scoring his second.

In the 58th minute, Tangitau did collect his double, poaching a timely intercept to dash 30 metres and tie the scores.

“The first one was tight. I was lucky I got it down. It was crucial to get some points on the board before halftime,” Tangitau told RugbyPass.

“The second was a lucky intercept. Sometimes you find yourself in the right place at the right time.”

“The Barbarians are a proud club. We knew it was going to be a hard battle, especially with all those South Africans.”

Fixture

Rugby Union Hybrid Friendlies

England A

14 - 31

Full-time

All Blacks XV

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There were 11 South Africans in the starting XV alone, and initially, the All Blacks XV faced an avalanche of forward pressure. Tries from two-time Rugby World Cup-winning hooker Bongi Mbonambi, fellow Springboks prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye and No.8 Evan Ross powered the Barbarians ahead 19-0 after 26 minutes. However, a combination of Barbarians fatigue and All Blacks XV flamboyance untangled South African suffocation.

The son of former Tongan Sevens international Vaea Feka Tangita, Caleb made the New Zealand Secondary Schools in 2020 out of North Harbour powerhouse Westlake Boys’ High School.

Later that year, he was part of the New Zealand Conder Sevens team and was invited to train with the All Blacks Sevens. He made such an impression that he eventually earned senior selection and won a bronze medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, in addition to a 2022/23 World Series title.

But when he joined the Blues, things started to unravel. He told The Hurtlocker podcast in April.

“I was struggling. I forgot how different the games are, sevens and fifteens, especially going into a team like the Blues. I was honestly struggling for, I would even say, the whole year, just trying to get my head around it all. It was pretty tough.”

At the Highlanders, Tangitau wasn’t competing with All Blacks Mark Tele’a and Caleb Clarke for a spot on the wing, and he thrived with tries against the Waratahs, Moana Pasifika, Hurricanes and Brumbies until he sustained a groin injury in April.

“Getting an opportunity to play regularly was a big factor in my coming South. I feel like there is something really good building at the Highlanders and I’m keen to be part of it,” Tangitau said.

Tangitau was part of unwanted history at Auckland – the 17-time NPC champions stumbled to a union record of seven consecutive defeats from September 28, 2024, to September 7, 2025. Still, he found a silver lining.

“We had some pretty honest conversations,” he admitted. “It was tough. We were a young side that didn’t meet the standards, but I truly believe there is young talent here to turn it around.”

Tangitau’s immediate focus is on the upcoming All Blacks XV fixture against England A at the Recreation Ground in Bath on Saturday.