New Zealand names largely surprise-free squad for Rugby World Cup
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand has entrusted its bid to win a fourth Rugby World Cup in France from next month to a 33-man squad with a combined 1,493 test caps and including seven former winners.
Lock Sam Whitelock is the most experienced player in the squad with 145 tests and is one of four test centurions. Winger Emoni Narawa is the most inexperienced player with only one test.
The squad will be captained by Sam Cane.
Head coach Ian Foster revealed his squad Monday in front of a live audience of around 1,500 in the North Island city of Napier. There were few gasps of surprise as former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw read out the names.
The only minor surprises were the inclusion of center David Havili, who hasn’t yet played a test this year, and the omission of back-rower Samipeni Finau, who made a strong test debut against Australia last weekend.
Hooker Codie Taylor and lock Whitelock have been named to play in their fourth World Cups.
The balance of the squad is slightly surprising: Six props and only five back-rowers and five outside backs including the wingers Leicester Fainga’anuku and Narawa.
Foster has chosen three playmakers in Richie Mo’unga, Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie. McKenzie survived despite a shaky performance against the Wallabies last weekend.
Veteran lock Brodie Retallick has been named for his third World Cup after suffering a knee injury on Saturday and he may be out for six weeks. That could mean he wouldn’t play until the second round of pool matches.
“It’s always a tough time but it’s an exciting time (when a World Cup squad is chosen),” Foster said. “There’s 33 people the selectors have chosen.
"We’re really comfortable with the group we’ve got. There’s some really good people who have missed out and that’s always been the challenge with picking All Blacks squads.
“When you look at the depth we’ve got, the experience and at the fact that for over half the team this is their first World Cup, there’s a nice mix of enthusiasm, youth and a bit of gnarly old experience too.”
Whatever happens, this will be Foster’s last World Cup. He was an assistant to Steve Hansen when New Zealand won the Webb Ellis Trophy in 2015 and when it was beaten by England in the semifinals in Japan in 2019.
New Zealand Rugby has decided already to appoint Crusaders coach Scott Robertson to take over from Foster after the World Cup, regardless of the All Blacks’ performance.
While the All Blacks have had some up and down seasons under Foster they have won all four tests this year. Through those matches it was increasingly clear that Foster and his fellow selectors had zeroed in on his intended World Cup squad.
“We had it pretty well inked in but there have been some things happen in the last couple of weeks,” Foster said. “There have been some re-injuries. Things happen. You get those stories with announcements and it’s tough but the reality is we’ve still got to hop on a plane with 33.”
Hansen on Monday declared the squad better than the one he took to the 2019 World Cup.
New Zealand will play its final warmup game against South Africa at Twickenham, London on Aug. 25 and Foster has named three extra players to play in that match.
The All Blacks will play the first match of the World Cup against France in Paris on Sept. 8. They will play Namibia on Sept. 15, Italy on Sept. 29 and Uruguay on Oct. 5.
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New Zealand: Forwards: Codie Taylor, Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Ethan de Groot, Fletcher Newell, Nepo Laulala, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tamaiti Williams, Tyrel Lomax, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaa’i, Ardie Savea, Dalton Papali’i, Luke Jacobson, Sam Cane (captain), Shannon Frizzell. Backs: Aaron Smith, Finlay Christie, Cam Roigard, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo’unga, Jordie Barrett, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Will Jordan, Emoni Narawa, Mark Telea.
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
