All Blacks first-five Richie Mo’unga is fit and available for selection for Sunday’s Test against Wales in Cardiff.
On Tuesday, assistant coach Jason Ryan confirmed the 57-cap international had received the green light from medical staff in regard to the calf tear which has sidelined him since the start of the Bledisloe Cup series, offering a selection conundrum of sorts for Dave Rennie and his fellow selectors.
In Mo’unga’s absence, Damian McKenzie’s mercurial play against both the Australians and most recently Scotland have created a selection conundrum few could have seen foreseen.
There was fanfare aplenty surrounding the Crusaders pivot’s return from Japan, with widespread belief he’d immediately be re-inserted into the No. 10 jersey, or at least into a two-way duel with Hurricanes star Ruben Love for the starting job.
Love’s steady but unspectacular form against South Africa and – much more definitively – his season-ending ankle injury looked to have tilted that ledger in the veteran’s favour, only for his own health to conspire against him and leave the door ajar for McKenzie to storm through.
With All Blacks selectors expected to seize the opportunity for a certain degree of selection rotation against lowly Wales, Mo’unga - who hasn’t featured since the fourth Test against the Springboks in Baltimore - seems a safe bet to be eased back into the fold, at the very least as an option off the bench.
Loose forward Ethan Blackadder has also received clearance for his calf injury and shapes as another who may see some much-needed gametime, with just a solitary Test to his name in 2026.
Ryan suggested there was considerable initial conjecture whether either player warranted a spot in the Northern Tour given the extent of their respective injuries.
But with a full week of training under their belts, they’ll come into consideration for the next two – and potentially three - weeks of their season-ending jaunt with the Nations Championship final still up for grabs.
“They’ve come along really well,” Ryan told media in Cardiff.
“Credit to the medical crew getting them right. Was a couple of big convos around them being on the plane.”
Flown in late as an injury replacement for Billy Proctor, Mo’unga’s only other appearance in the black jersey beyond the Test series finale came during the mid-week match against the Lions in Johannesburg.
Given the strength of the opposition and likelihood for some more liberal selection, this weekend’s team list won’t provide any surefire indication of exactly whose name is at the top of Rennie’s depth chart at first-five eighths.
That should come the following Friday, when the gameday squad to face England at Twickenham is announced.
Rennie may opt to have both in his starting XV against Wales, shifting McKenzie to fullback, where he’s played the majority of his Test rugby this year.
That would be a cruel twist of fate for Beauden Barrett, whose resurgence the in the custodial role has been one of the highlights of the All Blacks’ recent performances, with a brace of triers to his name in consecutive Tests.
Fresh from defending their unbeaten record against the Scots, the men in black are aiming to extend their staggering streak of 34 consecutive wins over Wales.
The New Zealanders have run up a half century their past three visits to Principality Stadium – more affectionately known as Cardiff Arms – and considering the host's precipitous downward trajectory, few wouldn’t back them to repeat that dose yet again.
Finishing last in the Six Nations, the Red Dragons have won just two of their seven Tests in 2026. They edged Italy back in early March, then Japan last weekend. Prior to that, a 43-0 demolition at the hands of the world champions.
Ryan was quick to downplay those struggles.
“They’re an incredibly physical team. Tough,” he said.
“They're very good defensively, trying to slow your ball down. I think (coach) Steve Tandy's done an awesome job of bringing a pretty young group together that have been together for a while. You can see how they're trying to play and they're attacking at scrum time really well.”
“Full respect for them.”
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