Dave Rennie has confirmed Richie Mo'unga will not feature in the All Blacks' matchday 23 for the opening Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Series Test against the Springboks at Ellis Park, despite the fly-half joining the touring squad in Gauteng on Friday evening as a replacement for the injured Billy Proctor.
Rennie was unequivocal after the All Blacks' 50-19 tour-closing win over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. "He arrived late last night. He is very, very excited and jumping out of his skin," Rennie said. "We won't pick him in the first Test. He will get a chance to get some game time against the Lions."
Ruben Love is therefore set to wear the number 10 jersey against the Springboks, with Rennie indicating the Test XV will look markedly different from the side that ran up half-centuries against the Bulls.
The more pressing concern in the All Blacks' backline is Damian McKenzie, whose availability for Ellis Park remains uncertain. Will Jordan and Cam Rogiard, who both missed the Bulls match, came through training on Saturday and Rennie is confident both will be available with a full week of preparation ahead. McKenzie is a different matter. "We're probably less confident about Damian, but we still think he has a good chance to play on the weekend," Rennie said. "We'll get a little bit of him tomorrow, and hopefully he can train well on Tuesday."
New Zealand also absorbed further injury news during the week, with Caleb Clarke sustaining a knock in the win over the Sharks in Durban. No additional cover will be brought into the squad at this stage.
Against the Bulls, Xavier Numia was withdrawn at half-time with a stiff Achilles, while Cortez Ratima took a knock to the knee — both exits managed with the Test a week away. Codie Taylor's exit at the break was pre-planned, with Taylor having scored two first-half tries and anchored a set-piece performance that included a 100% lineout success rate while he was on the park.
Taylor was measured about what that means heading into Ellis Park. "I'm sure they're going to be asking a lot more questions come next week," he said. "We are by no means the finished product."