By Jamie Wall of RNZ
The All Blacks have four tests left in 2025 and head coach Scott Robertson will name his squad to play them on Monday.
The season so far has been an intriguing one, featuring arguably the best performance of Robertson’s tenure, as well as a record defeat, so a grand slam to finish the year off would signal that the team are heading in the right direction.
The All Blacks first head to Chicago to face Ireland on November 2, a rematch of the famous 2016 fixture in which the men in green recorded their first win in the fixture in 111 years of trying.
They then go to Edinburgh to play Scotland (November 9), on to London against England (November 16), before finishing up in Cardiff against Wales (November 23).
Who will head away in the 36-man squad?
Here are the key talking points.
Tight five openings
Tyrel Lomax and Tupou Vaa’i are both done for the season, and while they will be missed, the cover developed means it’s less a disaster and more an opportunity.
Vaa’i’s breakdown work has been immense, but that is now a task for the loose forwards to take up, so that means Scott Barrett, Fabian Holland and Patrick Tuipulotu will be the top locking combination.
Behind them will likely be Josh Lord, although Sam Darry has managed to get through an NPC campaign with Canterbury and can pick up where he left off, after debuting last year.
Dirt trackers
The All Blacks XV will be named tomorrow, so the question now is how many players will be sent to them for game time or come back the other way.
Ruben Love turned out for both teams last year and a few more may find themselves with a couple of extra letters on their jersey logo.
Also, this is a prime opportunity for Robertson to do a test run with an integrated midweek side with an eye on next year’s tour to South Africa.
The midfield
Quinn Tupaea’s big game in Perth was sweet vindication for Robertson, after he changed up the midfield pairing of Jordie Barrett and Billy Proctor.
That’s probably the test selection, but Proctor will still go on the tour. Who joins them will be interesting with Anton Lienert-Brown playing more NPC than he probably would have liked and Timoci Tavatavanawai out for the year.
If there will be a bolter/shock recall, this may well be where they will fit in.
Loose forward mix
Luke Jacobson reminded everyone of his big workrate when he was given a start in Waikato’s close loss to Otago on Friday night. As long as he can stay injury free, which he has not been good at, Jacobson could have a big role to play on this tour.
Du’Plessis Kirifi and Samipeni Finau will likely go, given the extended squad, but will have a point to prove, after their gradual lack of involvement as the season progressed.
Room for another wing?
Despite debuting in the Wellington disaster, Leroy Carter has well and truly taken his chance, after originally being named as injury cover. With Emoni Narawa still out and Sevu Reece out of favour, we could see a new face in this group.
Young guns
There has been plenty of buzz around the Otago duo of Dylan Pledger and Lucas Casey, with both seen as massive prospects for the future.
Maybe Robertson is tempted to pull the trigger now, by way of the aforementioned All Blacks XV pathway.
The halfback group has been cursed by injury this year, so it’s not entirely out of the question for New Zealand under-20 star Pledger to find himself in the frame, while flanker Casey is less likely, considering who is standing in his way.
However, stranger things have happened.
