Richie Mo'unga has cleared the eligibility hurdle for All Blacks selection on the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour after coming off the bench to score the match-winning try for Canterbury against Auckland in Christchurch on Saturday, but the 32-year-old is giving nothing away on whether a call-up is imminent.
Mo'unga entered the fray in the 52nd minute — his first NPC appearance since 2020 — and delivered when it mattered, jinxing past three defenders in the 78th minute to cross and add the conversion, sealing a 38-31 victory for Canterbury in their tournament opener.
Having spent three years with Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Mo'unga was initially ineligible for Dave Rennie's 44-man tour squad. New Zealand Rugby's eligibility rules required him to first represent Canterbury in the NPC, a condition he has now satisfied.
When pressed on a possible mid-tour addition, Mo'unga was deliberately non-committal. "I'm not too sure – you know just as much as me. 'Be where my feet are' and whatever happens, happens," he told The Press.
Rennie had already flagged the possibility when naming his squad, stating: "There is a chance. He will play for Canterbury this weekend, and then once he's done that, if we had an injury at 10, then he's an option to come in."
The All Blacks currently carry four recognised tens in their tour squad — Ruben Love, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Josh Jacomb — with Love having been first choice during the Nations Championship wins over France, Italy and Ireland last month.
New Zealand open the six-week tour against the Stormers at DHL Stadium on August 7, before three Tests against the Springboks in Johannesburg (twice) and Cape Town, with a fourth Test in Baltimore on September 12 closing out the series.