For the 2024 Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship, the All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and his four assistant coaches, Scott Hansen, Jason Holland, Leon MacDonald, and Jason Ryan, have chosen their team.
The young and experienced members of the All Blacks 36-man Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship team, selected for six Test matches against Argentina, South Africa, and Australia, are highlighted by uncapped Hurricanes and Wellington back Ruben Love and 95 Test loose forward Sam Cane.
Love and Cane are two of the four players selected for the Rugby Championship who did not participate in the season’s first three Test matches, along with outside back Will Jordan and versatile midfielder David Havili. Lock Sam Darry and halfback Noah Hotham both stay in the team despite being called up to the Steinlager Ultra Low Carb Series.
A Historic First for NZR+ with the All Blacks on show
July marks a historic milestone as NZR+ broadcasts its first-ever live Test match. The highly anticipated weekend will feature a series of thrilling clashes, starting with the All Blacks taking on England at 7:05 PM NZT on Saturday 6 July. This monumental event is part of the SANZAAR TV portal and highlights NZR+’s commitment to bringing the best of rugby to a global audience.
All Blacks Head Coach Scott Robertson
Along with Captain Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaai’i, and Patrick Tuipulotu, who stayed in New Zealand for a week of relaxation as the team flew to San Diego, Darry is the team’s fourth lock. Josh Lord, a lock for the Chiefs and Taranaki, has been nominated as an injured substitute for Scott Barrett, who is under observation following surgery for a finger injury he sustained against Fiji.
Hotham is one of the three halfbacks selected for the Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship, along with Cortez Ratima and TJ Perenara. Perenara is back from a lower leg injury suffered in Dunedin during the opening Test match of the season against England.
Cane and Jordan, who missed the first three Tests of 2024 due to injuries to their shoulders and backs, respectively, have returned to the All Blacks. Cane increases the number of loose forwards to seven ahead of the challenging series, which begins with back-to-back home Tests against Argentina at Eden Park in Auckland and Sky Stadium in Wellington.
All Blacks Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship squad
Forwards (20)
Hookers
Asafo Aumua (27 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 9)
Codie Taylor (33 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 87)
George Bell (22 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 1)
Props
Ethan De Groot (26 / Highlanders / Southland / 25)
Tyrel Lomax (28 / Hurricanes / Tasman / 34)
Fletcher Newell (24 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 16)
Pasilio Tosi (26 / Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty / 1)
Ofa Tu’ungafasi (32 / Blues / Northland / 59)
Tamaiti Williams (23 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 8)
Locks
Scott Barrett (30 / Crusaders / Taranaki / 72) (Captain)
Tupou Vaa’i (24 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 28)
Patrick Tuipulotu (31 / Blues / Auckland / 45)
Sam Darry (24 / Blues / Canterbury / 1)
Loose Forwards
Ethan Blackadder (29 / Crusaders / Tasman / 11)
Sam Cane (32 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty / 95)
Samipeni Finau (25 / Chiefs / Waikato / 3)
Luke Jacobson (27 / Chiefs / Waikato / 21)
Dalton Papali’i (26 / Blues / Counties Manukau / 34)
Ardie Savea (30 / Moana Pasifika / Wellington / 84) (Vice Captain)
Wallace Sititi (21 / Chiefs / North Harbour / 1)
Backs (16)
Halfbacks
Noah Hotham (21 / Crusaders / Tasman / 1)
TJ Perenara (32 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 81)
Cortez Ratima (23 / Chiefs / Waikato / 2)
First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett (33 / Blues / Taranaki / 126)
Damian McKenzie (29 / Chiefs / Waikato / 50)
Mid-fielders
Jordie Barrett (27 / Hurricanes / Taranaki / 60) (Vice Captain)
David Havili (29 / Crusaders / Tasman / 27)
Rieko Ioane (27 / Blues / Auckland / 71)
Anton Lienert-Brown (29 / Chiefs / Waikato / 73)
Billy Proctor (25 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 1)
Outside backs
Caleb Clarke (25 / Blues / Auckland / 21)
Will Jordan (26 / Crusaders / Tasman / 31)
Ruben Love (23 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 0)
Stephen Perofeta (27 / Blues / Taranaki / 5)
Sevu Reece (27 / Crusaders / Southland / 26)
Mark Tele’a (27 / Blues / North Harbour/ 11)
