Why Leicester Fainga'anuku misses out on All Blacks 23 for Scotland

New Zealand will have to wait another week to see blockbusting loose-forward Leicester Fainga’anuku in an All Blacks jersey, after Dave Rennie left the Crusaders hybrid out of their 23-man squad for Scotland.

Rennie named a familiar-looking squad to head to Murrayfield in the Nations Championship this weekend, making only five changes from the Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia in Sydney.

Most of the changes come from the bench, where Christian Lio-Willie is handed his first appearance for the All Blacks in 2026, while Cortez Ratima gets the nod over heavily favoured Kyle Preston as the bench halfback replacement.

Fainga’anuku, who recovered from several injuries to be available ahead of the four-week Nations Championship tour, missed out for the Scotland game, with Rennie opting for Lio-Willie and Segner as the bench loose-forward replacements.

Addressing media at their Edinburgh hotel, Rennie said the coaching staff had their mind set on giving Fainga’anuku another week.

“Yeah, we just wanted to get another decent week of training into him,” Rennie said.

“So you know, he’ll push for a spot next week [against Wales].”

Fainga’anuku’s last appearance for the All Blacks was on the 2025 end-of-year tour, where he came off the bench in the No.22 jersey.

The All Blacks head coach, who spent three years at Glasgow, admitted they expect Scotland to play the same attacking style they intend to play.

“Well, I mean, like us, they prepare to hang on to the ball for long periods. I think they kick the ball about 20 times a game, and we kick at 19, so we’re two of the lower sides in the world around that.

“They don’t play a lot of footy from their defensive end, but once they get out of there, they’re prepared to go multi phase and continue to apply pressure.

“Defensively, we’re going to have to be really good. We’ve prepared that way.”

Having never beaten the All Blacks, a record that stands over 120 years and 33 games, Scotland head into Saturday’s Nations Championship clash with Rennie’s side as underdogs, but not without hope.

Gregor Townsend’s side have pushed South Africa in July, beaten France and England in recent Six Nations encounters, and possess multiple in-form players, but the All Blacks head coach said his side won’t be blindsided by the host’s quality.

“We haven’t so much talked about that point this week [record]. Like obviously, most of the guys in the room would be aware that when we played the Bledisloe Cup and at Eden Park, all the records there that no one wants to be a part of losing there.

“I think deep down it’ll be the same here. We’re well aware of how good a side they are and how close they’ve got, and I think if you focus on that, you carry that baggage on your back into a game.

“We’re playing a Scottish side that’s very confident at home and will have a lot of belief. But we’re going to back our game as well, and our job is to put them under as much pressure as possible and take the crowd out of the game.”