Midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown has been welcomed straight back into the 35-player All Blacks squad for their Northern tour, with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck also making the cut.
Lienert-Brown has yet to play a Test this year due to a shoulder injury suffered in Super Rugby in April but started at second-five for Waikato in their 34-27 NPC quarter-final defeat to Bay of Plenty this afternoon.
The Chiefs midfielder, who can play either midfield position, has played 56 Tests.
His return from surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation is particularly timely given Quinn Tupaea’s serious knee injury suffered while playing for the All Blacks against Australia in Melbourne recently, and it will be intriguing to see Ian Foster’s selections in this area during the four-Test tour which starts against Japan in Tokyo and takes in matches against Wales, Scotland and England in the United Kingdom.
Jordie Barrett performed impressively during his recent first Test start at second-five against Australia at Eden Park alongside Rieko Ioane, but with Lienert-Brown and David Havili (concussion) returning from injury, Foster's best All Blacks midfield remains a mystery.
Tuivasa-Sheck is an immediate beneficiary of Tupaea’s injury (Jack Goodhue remains a long-term absentee due to a knee issue), and is likely to start in the midfield against Japan on October 29 in what will be only his third Test as he attempts to make up ground ahead of next year's World Cup.
There is no room for fullback/first-five Damian McKenzie, however, as Foster and his selectors have not surprisingly opted for Stephen Perofeta – a long-term possibility as the All Blacks' No.10.
McKenzie, back from a stint in Japan but with a full NPC season under his belt, is almost certain to be named in the All Blacks XV which will be coached by Leon MacDonald and announced tomorrow.
“The Northern Tour is always a highlight in the All Black calendar and this year is no exception,” said Foster.
“With less than a year till the start of the Rugby World Cup, this tour gives us another great opportunity to grow from where we finished the Rugby Championship. Experiencing big Test matches in the north is great preparation for what is to come in France next year.
“The addition of our All Blacks XV team will also help grow this experience across a wider group of players.”
The All Blacks will have a three-day camp in Nelson this week before travelling to the Northern Hemisphere.
Last year the All Blacks lost consecutive Tests in Dublin and Paris and there will be much interest in how they fare against Northern Hemisphere packs and defences in November after their historic series defeat to Ireland in New Zealand this year.
The 2-1 series loss resulted in the sackings of assistant coaches John Plumtree and Brad Mooar, with head coach Foster clinging on to his job after his side bounced back from their defeat to South Africa in Mbombele with a comeback victory a week later at Ellis Park.
Again their inconsistency was exposed by Argentina in Christchurch, however, before they thrashed the Pumas at Waikato Stadium, and it was almost a similar story against the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup.
In Melbourne, the All Blacks gave up an 18-point lead in an extraordinary Test which featured a late Jordie Barrett try after the Wallabies were sanctioned for time wasting by referee Mathieu Raynal.
They finished the Rugby Championship with a comprehensive victory over Australia at Eden Park and were crowned competition champions after Argentina held the Boks to a closer than expected defeat in Durban.
All Blacks squad for Northern tour
Forwards:
Hookers
Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Codie Taylor.
Props
George Bower, Ethan de Groot, Nepo Laulala, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Ofa Tu’ungafasi
Locks
Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Tupou Vaa’I, Samuel Whitelock
Loose forwards
Sam Cane ©, Shannon Frizell, Akira Ioane, Dalton Papali’I, Ardie Savea, Hoskins Sotutu
Backs:
Halfbacks
Finlay Christie, Folau Fakatava, Aaron Smith
First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga, Stephen Perofeta
Midfielders
Braydon Ennor, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
Outside backs
Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Will Jordan, Sevu Reece
Unavailable for selection due to injury: Ethan Blackadder, Jack Goodhue, Josh Lord, Joe Moody and Quinn Tupaea.
All Blacks’ Northern tour:
Saturday, October 29: All Blacks v Japan, National Stadium, Tokyo, 6.50pm NZT
Sunday, November 6: All Blacks v Wales, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, 4.15am NZT
Monday, November 14, All Blacks v Scotland, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, 3.15am NZT
Sunday, November 20, All Blacks v England, Twickenham, London, 6.30am NZT
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