Dave Rennie is about to name his first All Blacks squad since taking over from Scott Robertson, and he’s already making a move that goes against decades of New Zealand rugby tradition.
The new head coach is expected to include Hurricanes winger Fehi Fineanganofo when the squad drops Sunday, after the Super Rugby Pacific final between the Hurricanes and Chiefs. That part isn’t the surprise. The surprise is that Fineanganofo has already signed a contract with Newcastle in England — and historically, players who’ve committed to leaving New Zealand don’t get picked. Mark Tele’a is the recent example of how that usually goes.
But Fineanganofo has been too good to ignore. The 23-year-old tied a Super Rugby single-season try record with 16 in 2026, matching Ben Lam and Joe Roff. He signed with Newcastle before the season started, back when nobody was talking about him as an All Blacks contender. Now Rennie is reportedly planning to select him anyway, which could convince Fineanganofo to explore getting out of that deal.
NZ Rugby CEO Steve Lancaster said the union doesn’t block players from leaving, but he left the door open for Fineanganofo to change his mind.
“We don’t really do that. These are player choices,” Lancaster told reporters. “There’s nothing stopping Fehi from doing that, but it’s not a space we get into, looking to buy players out of contracts. Things have changed a lot for him since the end of last year. He’s taken every opportunity he’s been given so good on him.”
Outside back logjam and the Will Jordan question
Fineanganofo is one of several wingers fighting for spots. Hurricanes teammate Josh Moorby has impressed since returning from France. Caleb Clarke and Leicester Fainga’anuku are also expected to make the squad. And then there’s Isaac Hutchinson, who’s been emerging fast — especially with Will Jordan sidelined.
Jordan is dealing with another injury setback. The Crusaders back rushed back for his club and it didn’t go well. Rennie is reportedly cautious about repeating that mistake, so Jordan will likely miss the opening Tests against France and Italy. That opens up opportunities at fullback, where Beauden Barrett, Ruben Love and Damian McKenzie can all slot in. But Hutchinson has made a real case for himself.
Ardie Savea situation and other big calls
Here’s another wrinkle: Ardie Savea is the obvious captaincy candidate with Scott Barrett unavailable, but there’s talk Rennie might rest him for the July Tests entirely. The thinking is to save him for the South Africa tour later in the year. If Savea sits out, that changes the whole look of the loose forward group.
Peter Lakai is a lock. After that, there’s Wallace Sititi (though he’s dealing with a concussion), Du’Plessis Kirifi, Anton Segner, Luke Jacobson, Simon Parker, Christian Lio-Willie and Lucas Casey all fighting for spots. It’s a deep pool.
At scrum-half, Cam Roigard and Noah Hotham are the top two. The battle for the third spot is between Cortez Ratima and Kyle Preston.
The midfield situation is also fluid. Rieko Ioane has been playing mostly wing for Leinster this season, which could affect how Rennie uses him. Anton Lienert-Brown just won a Japan Rugby League One title with Kobe. Both are options, but exactly where they fit is still up in the air.
Rennie has said he’ll pick on form. Sunday will show just how serious he is about that.
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