earned the right to get their opportunity
In Wellington, All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has reshaped his starting fifteen ahead of Saturday's test against Italy, weaving together the threads of recovery, reward, and renewal that define any squad in transition. Two uncapped players — Anton Segner and Josh Moorby — earn their first taste of the international stage, while veterans like Tupou Vaa'i return from injury to reclaim their place in the fold. The selection speaks to something older than tactics: the quiet negotiation between what a team has built and what it still hopes to become.
- Five starting changes — including a reshuffled forward pack and a redrawn backline — signal that Rennie is actively shaping combinations rather than simply managing them.
- Tupou Vaa'i's return from concussion and Wallace Sititi's promotion to blindside flanker add physicality and continuity to a loose forward trio anchored by captain Ardie Savea.
- Leroy Carter and Billy Proctor replace Caleb Clarke and Quinn Tupaea respectively, altering how the All Blacks will attack and defend across the midfield and edges.
- Debutants Segner and Moorby — the latter a co-holder of the Super Rugby single-season try-scoring record — wait on the bench, their caps delayed only by circumstance and now finally within reach.
- Will Jordan, two tries short of Doug Howlett's all-time All Blacks record of 49, quietly carries a milestone into every test he plays, needing just one strong afternoon to bring history within touching distance.
Dave Rennie has made five changes to his All Blacks starting fifteen for Saturday's test against Italy in Wellington, promoting two uncapped players to the bench in a selection that balances continuity with the deliberate introduction of fresh talent.
The forward pack carries the most significant revision. Tupou Vaa'i returns to the second row after recovering from concussion, pushing Josh Lord to the bench, while Wallace Sititi takes the blindside flanker role from Peter Lakai. Luke Jacobson and Ardie Savea complete the loose trio. In the backline, Leroy Carter reclaims the left wing after Caleb Clarke drops from the squad entirely, and Billy Proctor slots into the midfield alongside Jordie Barrett. Will Jordan holds his place on the right wing, sitting two tries short of Doug Howlett's All Blacks record of 49 — a milestone that grows harder to ignore with each appearance.
The two debutants provide the selection's most compelling subplot. Anton Segner, 24, has built his case across three seasons with the Blues, demonstrating versatility across all three loose forward positions. Josh Moorby, 27, arrives having co-set the record for most tries in a single Super Rugby season — an opportunity made possible only by Fehi Fineanganofo's shoulder injury sustained on debut the previous week.
Rennie described the selection as a balance between rewarding consistency and recognising earned advancement, while also acknowledging Italy's capacity to trouble any opponent on any given day. Beauden Barrett remains absent, with Ruben Love and Damian McKenzie continuing at first-five and fullback — small decisions that, taken together, reveal a coach making careful, cumulative choices about the combinations he wants to build as the international season deepens.
Dave Rennie has reshuffled his All Blacks lineup for Saturday's test against Italy in Wellington, making five changes to the starting fifteen and promoting two uncapped players to the bench. The alterations signal both continuity and opportunity—a coach balancing the need to build combinations with the chance to blood fresh talent against a team that has proven capable of troubling anyone in international rugby.
The forward pack bears the heaviest revision. Tupou Vaa'i, recovered from the concussion that sidelined him after the Super Rugby Pacific final, returns to the second row alongside Sam Darry. That shift pushes Josh Lord, his Chiefs teammate, to the bench. Wallace Sititi takes over at blindside flanker, displacing Peter Lakai, to complete a loose trio rounded out by Luke Jacobson and captain Ardie Savea. These moves reflect Rennie's confidence in the combinations he wants to build as the test window progresses.
In the backline, Leroy Carter reclaims the left wing after Caleb Clarke drops entirely from the matchday squad. Billy Proctor, the Hurricanes centre, slots in alongside Jordie Barrett in place of Quinn Tupaea. These are not marginal adjustments—they reshape how the All Blacks will attack and defend across the middle and edges. Will Jordan, meanwhile, holds his position on the right wing. He sits two tries short of Doug Howlett's All Blacks record of 49, a milestone that has begun to loom larger with each test appearance. Jordan has 47 tries from 55 caps; Howlett needed 63 to reach that same tally.
The two debutants waiting on the bench represent the story's deeper current. Anton Segner, 24, has spent three seasons in the Blues Super Rugby squad, where he earned the trust of outgoing coach Vern Cotter by proving himself capable across all three loose forward positions. Josh Moorby, 27, arrives with a different kind of credential: he shares the record for most tries in a single Super Rugby season, a mark he holds alongside Fehi Fineanganofo. Fineanganofo's absence—a shoulder injury sustained on his own test debut in Christchurch last week—opened the door for Moorby's opportunity.
Rennie framed the selection as a balance between rewarding consistency and recognizing earned advancement. "There are a number of players and combinations who we felt deserved and would benefit from a second successive run, and other players who have earned the right to get their opportunity," he said. He also acknowledged the weight of the opposition. Italy, he noted, had demonstrated through the Six Nations that they could trouble any team on any given day. The selection reflected that respect—a strong side sent to face a Wellington crowd that will fill the stadium to capacity.
Notably absent again is Beauden Barrett. Ruben Love and Damian McKenzie retain the first-five and fullback positions respectively, continuing the partnership from the previous test. These decisions, small as they may seem in isolation, accumulate into a picture of a coach making deliberate choices about which combinations to develop and which players to trust as the international season unfolds.
Notable Quotes
There are a number of players and combinations who we felt deserved and would benefit from a second successive run, and other players who have earned the right to get their opportunity.— Dave Rennie, All Blacks coach
This is a strong side to reflect the respect we have for this Italian team. They have shown through the Six Nations competition that they are capable of knocking over any team.— Dave Rennie, All Blacks coach
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why make five changes when the All Blacks just played? Wouldn't continuity matter more?
Continuity does matter, but so does depth. Rennie's signaling that he's building a squad, not just a team. Some players earned a second run because they showed something worth developing. Others—Segner, Moorby—have done enough in Super Rugby that leaving them out would be ignoring form.
But Italy isn't a warm-up. They beat teams in the Six Nations. Why risk it with debutants on the bench?
They're on the bench, not starting. That's the calculation—you get them into the environment, maybe into the game if it's safe, without asking them to carry the load. And Moorby especially, with that try-scoring record, he's not some untested kid. He's a proven finisher.
What about Will Jordan and that try record? Is that shaping the selection?
It's there, certainly. Two tries away from Howlett's mark. But I don't think Rennie's picking him for that reason. Jordan's in form, he's a good player. The record is just something that will happen if it happens.
And Beauden Barrett still out. That's a statement, isn't it?
It is. Love and McKenzie have the job. Rennie's not rotating for rotation's sake. He's saying: this is the pairing we're building with.
So this is really about the next test, not this one?
It's about both. You have to win Saturday. But you're also thinking about what comes after, who you trust, what combinations might work in the harder tests ahead.