Why All Blacks have bold plan to unleash rookie Anton Segner off bench ‘early’ against Italy

Friday, 10 July 2026

Anton Segner's parents will have travelled more than 18,000km, crossed multiple time zones and sampled a variety of airline meals prior to getting to the Cake Tin in Wellington, but their reward won't be seeing their son in a starter's jersey for his first game for the All Blacks.

Mr and Mrs Segner are going to have to be patient.

Loose forward Segner will instead have the No 20 on his back when he takes his place alongside the other seven reserves on the sideline for the test against Italy on Saturday night.

The good news for Tim and Eva Segner, who hail from Frankfurt in Germany, is that All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has already taken the unusual step of publicly announcing their boy will get plenty of minutes against the Azzurri.

Often All Blacks coaches prefer to keep the plans for the substitutes to themselves.

Not Rennie, though.

Unlike his predecessors, who have elected to give little away prior to test matches in the belief it would be folly to give opponents a heads-up about what's coming from the substitutes, Rennie has let it all hang out.

He has pledged that Segner's parents won't be made to wait too long before getting their first glimpse of Anton in action.

'We are keen to get him into the game reasonably early,'' Rennie said.

'We will give him some time to find his feet. He has been excellent [at training].''

When Rennie named his match-day 23 for the second Nations Championship test, he resisted the urge to put Segner in the run-on XV and instead named captain Ardie Savea, Wallace Sititi and Luke Jacobson to start in the back row.

Last week, when he named the team that went on to beat France 34-32 in Christchurch, Rennie said he didn't subscribe to the theory that digits on loose forward's backs dictated what their job sheet required.

Nothing has changed in seven days. And this strategy will be important for Segner.

Rennie still believes all back rowers should roll up their sleeves, be physical and complete a range of tasks; he was complimentary of Jacobson, a surprise selection at No 7 against the French, for producing what he believed was his best performance in 25 tests.

'I guess what we are saying with the numbers, where guys pack down a scrum, it may look totally different at lineout time or where we play guys in the backs and who is jumping and so on,'' Rennie explained.

'That is why I am not too concerned about the numbers; it is more the complimentary skillset that those three have and bring to the team.

'So, Anton has had a great year, he is a genuine lineout option.

'He gets a hell of a lot of lineout steals. So, exciting. His family is coming over from Germany. Be great for them to be here to see him.''

Segner, who was the best player for the Blues in Super Rugby Pacific this season, is poised to become the first German-born player to represent the All Blacks.

While Rennie didn't specify at which point of the game he would blood Segner, there's potential to bring him on after the halftime break if he believes either No 8 Savea, blindside flanker Sititi or Jacobson deserve a rest ahead of the test against Ireland in Auckland.

Segner's versatility provides Rennie with options.

It was a factor in why he was picked ahead of specialist openside flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi in the 34-man squad for the three tests in New Zealand.

Rennie, having also named another uncapped player in outside back Josh Moorby on the reserves bench, elected to mingle experience with young thrusters in his match-day 23.

Lock Patrick Tuipulotu was given another week to recover from a calf strain.

First five-eighth/fullback Beauden Barrett, halfback Kyle Preston and loose forward Simon Parker were other players not required for the opening two tests of the championship.

The All Blacks were committed to playing a dynamic, quick game against the French under the roof at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch and Rennie acknowledged there were periods when his players could have been more conservative and trucked the ball up the middle.

If the conditions allow it, the All Blacks may again commit themselves to being more adventurous in Wellington.

Following the test against Italy, discussions will be held to determine whether Tuipuluto, Barrett, Preston and Parker would play Ireland in Auckland next weekend.

'We will see how things wash out after the weekend, to who comes up against Ireland.''