The All Blacks are heading to the Northern Hemisphere for their annual end-of-year tour, which will wrap up the international rugby calendar for New Zealand fans. The season as a whole, through the Rugby Championship and France’s tour, has answered a few questions along the way, but there are still elements of Razor’s squad that need to be figured out prior to the end of his second season in charge.
So, let’s take a look at what I think needs to be answered during the dying embers of the season.
Is There A Young First Five Worth Investing In?
Since Beauden Barrett’s heyday, New Zealand haven’t had a game-changing player in the most important position on the rugby field, and it has shown in some of the big moments over the last couple of years. That’s not to say Barrett, McKenzie, and even Mo’unga haven’t had their moments, because they have. But generally, a good performance from those guys is that of a high-end game manager, rather than being the best player on the park, which is what you want from your first five at their peak.
When I look around the country, there are three players right now on the professional scene who have shown the ability to guide a team around the park while also having the athleticism to break a game open. The first one I’ll quickly mention is Hurricanes and Hawke’s Bay first five, Harry Godfrey, who unfortunately suffered a season-ending knee injury during the back end of the NPC season.
The next name, and in my mind the MVP of the NPC, is Josh Jacomb, who has quite frankly looked like a superstar at that level. He ran for 884 metres, beat 34 defenders, made 14 line breaks, scored 6 tries, and tallied 133 points, all of which rank in the 90th percentile for that position. While he’s not on the Northern Tour, I’ll be keeping a close eye on his performances for the All Blacks XV, because I think he could be that next guy with another strong 12 months.
The last name is Ruben Love, who most people know as a high-octane athlete in the back three. However, I would argue that when he suited up for the Hurricanes in the pivot role, Love was the best player in the competition during that stretch. What I want to see from the All Blacks coaches is for them to stop living in their fears and give Love a real chance to slot in at first five, or even start against Wales or Scotland. I think that would be far more beneficial for his development than giving him eight minutes on the wing to close out a test.
All in all, it’s about time we started to find out about the next generation, just as Rassie Erasmus has done with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and if you asked him, I think he’d be pretty happy with the result.
Which Young No. 8 Grabs The Opportunity?
With Simon Parker seemingly being the ideal blindside flanker for the way the All Blacks want to play, almost operating as a flanker-lock hybrid with all the dirty work he gets through, and Ardie Savea locked in as the starter in the No. 7 jersey, the only loose forward spot seemingly up for grabs is at the base of the scrum.
To me, there are two clear options, and it comes down to some of the brightest young talents in the country. The incumbent in the jersey this year, after being the breakout player of last season, is Wallace Sititi. Unfortunately, injuries sidelined him for much of the Super Rugby season, and since returning to test level, he hasn’t quite had the same spark he brought to the side last year. I think that has opened the door for Hurricanes loose forward Peter Lakai, who the All Blacks took far too long to give an opportunity to this season.
When he finally got his start in Bledisloe Two, Lakai was arguably the best player on the park. He showcased his bruising running ability, silky ball skills, and relentless defensive work rate.
So, for me, that performance sparked the question of who should start in the first test against Ireland. Taking everything into account, I would expect the All Blacks to stick with the player they seem to have more comfort selecting in Sititi. However, personally, I would lean the other way, and based on this season, give Peter Lakai the first opportunity in the North.
How Does The Winger Pecking Order Shake Out?
The status of the wingers in New Zealand is interesting to me, because it seems like Leroy Carter right now is the first name on the teamsheet, which is no doubt justifiable, with Caleb Clarke, when healthy, being the other preferred option. The only spanner I would throw into the mix is Leicester Faingaʻanuku, who is arguably the most talented of the group when it comes to physical attributes and ability.
Then you have the outsiders, Reiko Ioane and Sevu Reece, who have seemingly fallen out of favour this season after starting out as the first-choice wingers way back against France. The intriguing part about the top three options, in my view, is the versatility of someone like Faingaʻanuku, who could find his opportunity in the centres, which I think might actually be his more natural position.
So the question becomes whether we see a team with all three of those players starting at some point together on tour, or will the combination of Billy Proctor and Quinn Tupaea get the minutes on Jordie Barrett’s shoulder.
In essence, I think we’ll see all of these winger options at some point, whether that’s starting, coming off the bench, or shifting into midfield. What I’ll be watching closely is how that pecking order shapes up heading into the 2026 season.
