New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie has announced his side to face the Lions in the final midweek game of their tour of South Africa, with Richie Mo'unga making his first appearance in nearly three years.
After watching his side beat the Springboks 16-33 on Saturday, Rennie has completely overhauled his team, naming an entirely new starting XV and appointing lock Patrick Tuipulotu to lead out the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Tuesday.
Mo'unga headlines selection
Mo'unga is the headline selection, pulling on the jersey for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup as he starts at fly-half. Jamie Hannah and Ofa Tu'ungafasi will be thrown straight into the action, having come into camp as cover for Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord in the wake of the victory over the Springboks.
Noah Hotham and the uncapped Saula Ma'u will also earn their first minutes of the tour, with Rennie hoping to make it a clean sweep against South Africa's franchise teams, having already beaten the Sharks, Stormers and Bulls earlier this month.
Rennie praises squad depth
“With the naming of this matchday 23, everyone currently in the squad will have played on tour, which is great for creating depth and competition for places in the Test team,” said Rennie as the squad was announced.
“I’ve been impressed with the way that all players in our squad have responded to the quick turnaround between games. The Lions match comes just three days after the first Test match but everyone has been involved in preparing this team to play.
“We know we will have to be at our very best again to prepare for what we know will be another physical match against a Lions side that has been lying in wait.”
Kolisi set for Springboks return
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has seemingly revealed his plan to bring talismanic forward Siya Kolisi back into his side for the second Test against the All Blacks on Saturday.
The double World Cup-winning captain was kept out of South Africa's matchday squad for the series opener at Ellis Park, with Erasmus taking a precautionary approach due to the veteran international's recent hamstring issues. Instead, the Springboks boss opted for 23-year-old Paul de Villiers at openside flanker, but he heavily suggested during his post-match press conference after the opening defeat that Kolisi will return for the second Test in Cape Town.
“I thought Paul played really well,” he said. “But I know Siya is back next week. Siya trained well with us this week, and although we could have selected him for this clash, we thought it would be best to select Paul for this weekend’s game.”
Webb hails Love
Former Wales international Rhys Webb admits he has been really impressed with New Zealand fly-half Ruben Love following his rise to the All Blacks No. 10 jersey.
The 25-year-old continued an outstanding year with a composed performance against the Springboks, knocking over four conversions and impressing with his all-around play. It follows a run of impressive displays for the All Blacks in the Nations Championship and a title-winning campaign with the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Pacific.
Webb, who won 40 caps for Wales at scrum-half, has been watching Love's performances closely and believes he serves as a perfect example to young players of how an outside-half should play. In his column for RUCK.com, the 37-year-old heaped praise on the All Blacks playmaker, as he wrote: "For me, Ruben Love is the man.
"Any young player watching rugby at the moment should spend some time watching him. Forget just watching where the ball goes. Watch what Love is doing before he receives it.
"He plays with his head up. He scans. He sees pictures early. He backs himself and, probably most importantly, he isn’t frightened of making a mistake. He has a go.
"There’s a relaxed confidence about him," Webb added. "He looks like a young man enjoying playing rugby rather than somebody carrying the pressure of wearing an All Blacks No.10 jersey. That is massive.
"Love isn’t trying to manufacture something every time he gets the ball either. If it’s on, he’ll play. If it isn’t, he’ll move the team somewhere else and wait for the next opportunity. For a young 9 or 10, that’s such an important lesson. Scan early. See the picture. Make your decision. Back it."
It comes after former All Black Andrew Mehrtens claimed Love is "pretty close" to the level of iconic fly-half Carlos Spencer, telling the Boks Unpacked podcast: "He’s physically really good.
"Comparisons have been made with Carlos Spencer and he’s got phenomenal talent. Probably nobody’s got the out-and-out sheer brilliance and audacity that Carlos had, but Ruben Love in the modern context is pretty close to that.
"He’s also got a consistency around his game. You don’t win a Super Rugby title, no matter how much ammunition you have around you, without having a good 10 to guide the team around," Mehrtens added. "He’s built up his confidence, he’s composed, got a good kicking game."
