All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has defended Karl Tu'inukuafe after cutting him from the squad this morning, saying the team simply requires something different than what he currently offers.
Tu'inukuafe was one of five players axed by Hansen for his 34-man Bledisloe series squad against the Wallabies - the penultimate team naming before the final 31 players are selected for the World Cup.
Hansen said the front-rower's omission wasn't because of his form.
"It's not that he's done anything wrong," Hansen said.
"It's just that we've said that we want mobile, ball-playing props who can also do their roles."
Hansen said a "number of things" could see players recalled before the final squad is named for Japan. (Source: Other)
Hansen added the return of Atu Moli, who's season-ending injury last year led to Tu'inukuafe's whirlwind rise to international rugby, also played a factor in the selections.
"We've been on Atu Moli for quite some time apart from that nasty injury that kept him out which was Karl's opportunity," he said.
"We're still pretty keen on Atu and there's only room for the number we've got - we've got six there so we can't take seven and we get to the World Cup, we can only take five so we still have some culling to do there."
Hansen said when it came to selecting the front rowers, management were looking at mobility which the coach says wasn't one of Tu'inukuafe's "strong areas".
"When you talk about mobility, you're talking about people's ability to get back up from the ground and defend and get back and be a ball player.
"In today's game you need props that can do more than just scrum and lift in the lineout so that's been our challenge in the last 12 months that we've put to our front rowers and some of them are progressing really well with it and others are struggling."
Besides Moli, the other props selected in the squad are Owen Franks, Nepo Laulala, Joe Moody, Angus Ta'avao and Ofa Tuungafasi.
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