All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has confirmed when flyhalf Richie Mo’unga is expected to play again and explained why lock Jamie Hannah was preferred to Sam Darry and Patrick Tuipulotu.
Rennie on Tuesday named his 36-man squad for the European leg of the Nations Championship, which includes Tests against Scotland (7 November), Wales (14 November) and England (21 November), followed by the finals weekend at Twickenham (27-29 November).
Mo’unga has been sidelined since suffering a calf tear in training ahead of the first Bledisloe Cup Test against the Wallabies earlier this month.
“Richie won’t be available for Scotland,” Rennie said at the squad announcement. “He’s a good chance for Wales. So we made a decision that it’s better to bring him in.
“He’s a strong chance, obviously from the World Cup perspective, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job around him.
“We took him to Sydney, so our MedFit guys could spend a lot of time building him up. He’s run really well over the last week, and we’ll continue to build it when we get to Scotland. But likely available for Wales.”
KEO & ZELS: Pick your Bok bolters!
Rennie also explained his decision to select Hannah ahead of Darry and Tuipulotu, describing lock as the most competitive position in the squad.
The 21-year-old Hannah, who has earned one Test cap, impressed during Canterbury’s successful NPC campaign and offers the physical edge Rennie wants from his forwards.
“Good athlete, really, really good lineout forward, runs the lineout well, but he’s got a bit of a dark side around his carry, clean, tackle,” Rennie said.
Darry started the All Blacks’ 43-28 defeat to the Springboks in Baltimore in September.
“Jeez, he’s unlucky because he’s played a lot of good footy for us, and that was a message to him,” Rennie said.
Tuipulotu, meanwhile, was not selected despite having recovered from the calf injury that ruled him out of the Bledisloe Cup Tests.
“He’s back running fully now; he hasn’t done any contact or full contact yet, but he’s technically available for selection,” said Rennie.
Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
The post Rennie reveals Richie return plan appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has confirmed when flyhalf Richie Mo’unga is expected to play again and explained why lock Jamie Hannah was preferred to Sam Darry and Patrick Tuipulotu.
The post Rennie reveals Richie return plan appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
