Mo'unga back as Rennie lists Fainga'anuku among loose forwards for northern tour
Dave Rennie has brought Richie Mo'unga back and listed Leicester Fainga'anuku as a loose forward in his 36-man All Blacks squad for the Nations Championship tour of Scotland, Wales and England. He named the squad after Canterbury beat Northland in Monday's NPC final.
Codie Taylor, who has played more than 100 Tests, will captain the side in the United Kingdom while Ardie Savea is out with a shoulder injury, RugbyPass reported. The squad meets in Auckland on Tuesday morning and flies to the UK on Thursday. The first Test is against Scotland at Murrayfield at 3:10am NZDT on 8 November.
Mo'unga missed both Bledisloe Cup Tests with a calf injury. He is listed at first five-eighth with Damian McKenzie, who has 83 Tests, and Josh Jacomb of the Chiefs and Taranaki, who is yet to play a Test. Beauden Barrett is also in the squad with 147 caps. All three Barrett brothers made it, after Scott Barrett's standout games against Australia on his return.
Fainga'anuku's selection is the bigger talking point. He broke his leg and suffered a high ankle sprain in the Crusaders' semi-final loss to the Chiefs in July, the Otago Daily Times reported. He came back for Tasman in the NPC, and this is his first All Blacks squad of the year. Across his 12 Tests he has usually played in the outside backs or the midfield. Now he is one of six loose forwards, with Anton Segner, Ethan Blackadder, Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai and Christian Lio-Willie, who is also in his first squad of the year.
