All Blacks squad naming: Who will Dave Rennie select for July tests?

Monday, 22 June 2026

The All Blacks squad for the three Nations Championship tests in July will be named at the Feilding Yellows rugby club at midday on Monday.

The 34-man squad will prepare to play France, Italy and Ireland in New Zealand.

This will be the first squad named by new coach Dave Rennie, who has been contracted by NZ Rugby through to the 2027 World Cup.

All Blacks Dave Rennie will name the first squad of his tenure in Feilding on Monday.

Rennie, who will name 34 players for the three Nations Championship tests in New Zealand in July, will also name a new captain because incumbent Scott Barrett is injured.

The anticipation of the squad naming has been heightened by the prospect of Rennie and his fellow selectors Graham Henry and Neil Barnes blooding uncapped players for the tests against France, Italy and Ireland.

If Barrett had been fit, he was no certainty to be asked to continue as captain. A new coach often coincides with a new skipper being appointed.

Rennie, having recently returned from Japan where he guided the Kobe Kobelco Steelers to the League One title, has already surrounded himself with several new assistants.

Former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga will be in charge of defence, ex-Scotland international Mike Blair will organise the attack, and Barnes has been appointed senior assistant coach and lineout expert.

Jason Ryan, who has been with the All Blacks since mid-2022, is the forwards coach (scrum and maul).

Stuff will have live coverage of the squad naming from 11am on Monday.

In the meantime, here’s some key questions answered.

Which players won't be available because of injuries?

Locks Scott Barrett and Fabian Holland, prop Tamaiti Williams and uncapped wing Caleb Tangitau are among those who won’t be available.

Crusaders hybrid player Leicester Fainga’anuku - who can play wing, centre or flanker - has been ruled out for up to 12 weeks because of the leg injury he suffered in the Super Rugby Pacific semifinal against the Chiefs.

Barrett was supposed to return from a non-playing sabbatical towards the end of the Crusaders campaign but that plan collapsed when it was announced he would require surgery on his back.

Holland never got on the park for the Highlanders this year because he suffered a serious shoulder injury during a pre-season game against Moana Pasifika.

Highlanders wing Caleb Tangitau ruptured an Achilles tendon against the Chiefs.

Before the final between the Hurricanes and Chiefs in Wellington on Saturday night, Rennie made a brief appearances on Sky Sport and said he hoped there wouldn’t be any injuries during the final.

Rennie must have winced when he watched Chiefs loose forward Samipeni Finau launch a heavy tackle on Hurricanes co-captain and midfielder Jordie Barrett, but the latter soldiered on and didn’t appear to be in great discomfort during the post-game celebrations.

That was despite Barrett lying on the grass and needing medical attention for what appeared to be sore ribs.

Crusaders fullback Will Jordan is recovering from a calf injury that forced him to miss the later rounds of Super Rugby Pacific. Although he may miss the first couple of tests in July, he is still likely to included in the squad.

Who will Rennie name as captain?

With incumbent skipper Scott Barrett unavailable because of a back injury, possibly for another four months, loose forward Ardie Savea features as a frontrunner for the leadership role.

Hooker Codie Taylor, midfielder Jordie Barrett and wing/fullback Will Jordan are other options to replace Barrett.

Which uncapped players could be included in the All Blacks squad?

Hurricanes loosehead prop Xavier Numia could get the chance of earning his first cap.

With Tamaiti Williams sidelined by an infection in one of the discs in his spine, Numia may be invited into the national squad.

Did anyone play the house down in the Super Rugby Pacific final and give Rennie a reason to include them in the squad?

Few Chiefs players covered themselves in glory during the heavy loss to the Hurricanes.

Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie had a night to forget behind a beaten forward pack, while the man in the No 10 jersey, Ruben Love, had a blinder.

Questions have to be asked about the Chiefs’ defensive lapses - and there were plenty of those - but it would be churlish not to acknowledge how hot the Hurricanes were with the ball in hand.

Love was excellent. He outplayed McKenzie.

If Rennie names three first five-eighths in Beauden Barrett, Love and McKenzie, he will have to choose between two old heads and Love when deciding should play the first test against the French in Christchurch next month.

One more thing: NZ Rugby must still be kicking themselves for letting Warner Dearns slip through their fingers.

The giant lock, who plays international rugby for Japan, was brilliant in the final and shaded the Chiefs locking pair of Tupou Vaa’i and Josh Lord - both are All Blacks.

And what about Fehi Fineanganofo?

The powerful Hurricanes wing has signed with the Newcastle club in England, but he is still eligible for the All Blacks … for now.

Rennie could still name the uncapped Fineanganofo in his squad, because he’s still in New Zealand. But if he remains committed to joining Newcastle, and won’t stick around for the World Cup next year, there’s no long-term gain.

All will be revealed at midday.

If Rennie elects to pick Fineanganofo, and gives him a taste of international rugby, he may hope that’s enough for him to somehow be granted a release from Newcastle.