Why Hurricanes standout Ruben Love has done enough to win the All Blacks No 10 jersey

Wednesday, 10 June 2026

Ruben Love has been outstanding for the Hurricanes in his first full Super Rugby campaign as starting No 10.

ANALYSIS: In 80 stunningly efficient, spectacularly effective minutes at the Cake Tin last Friday night Ruben Love surely demonstrated palpably why he has to be the All Blacks’ starting No 10 in July, and most probably beyond.

The knock on Love, who has been in the All Blacks’ system since the back end of 2024, but has accumulated just five test appearances, and none at No 10, is that he is not ready for test footy. That he remains a work in progress. That first five is a position he’s still learning. That he needs to accumulate more experience in big-time rugby.

Phooey. That theory is yesterday’s news, which the 25-year-old Love is in the process of proving emphatically in an outstanding breakout season at No 10 for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Pacific. He continues to make every post a winner, and his statement performance in the Canes’ 66-12 qualifying final victory over the Brumbies in the wet in the capital was arguably his most impressive showing of an eye-catching campaign.

Love ran for 49 metres on 8 carries, beat 3 defenders, had a clean-break and a try assist, and kicked well out of hand and brilliantly at goal, slotting all 10 attempts in trying conditions for a 21-point haul. More importantly, he ran the Canes’ game superbly, balancing the requirement for accuracy in the wet with this outstanding backline’s ability to dazzle with their skills and precision.

Yes, it’s a big step up, but Love surely deserves a crack at proving it’s a leap he can make.

Ruben Love has come into his own as a goalkicker for the Hurricanes throughout this season.

Clearly the ultra-talented playmaker is locked in a three-way All Blacks battle at No 10 alongside Chiefs game-changer Damian McKenzie and Blues veteran Beauden Barrett. All will be in the July squad and, fitness-permitting, the expanded group to tour South Africa. The fact all three cover fullback adeptly adds to their value.

But who starts, who covers on the bench and who hovers as the backup plan in case of emergency?

New All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has promised to pick on form and has said he has no pre-conceived notions or loyalties to players after being so long removed from the New Zealand system.

That should mean starting first five-eighths for the Nations Championship is a straight shootout between Love and McKenzie, with an out-of-sorts Barrett, and his 144 test caps, the third wheel.

Damian McKenzie will look to mount his All Blacks 10 claims in a Super Rugby finals flourish with the Chiefs.

You can make a case that Barrett’s experience makes him invaluable for the cauldron of South Africa, in particular. That his class is permanent, and form temporary. That he will rise to the occasion in a familiar arena.

But that would be to ignore the evidence of the last five months of Super Rugby. And to put all your faith in the past. Barrett, a two-time world player of the year, may yet rise again and refind his mojo – he’ll have a great chance to change the narrative in a delicious Saturday night semifinal matchup against Love – but he has work to do to prove he is not the fading force his formline suggests.

McKenzie is a different kettle of fish. Four years younger than Barrett, at 31, he still has a pep in his step, which he demonstrated clearly in his return from a head knock in last Saturday’s 46-24 Chiefs qualifying final victory over the Reds in Hamilton.

Beauden Barrett has been well below his best for the Blues in ‘26, but has 144 tests of experience to fall back on.

D-Mac grabbed a pair of tries and ran the Chiefs’ game splendidly in the wet against an opponent that brought plenty. It was a timely reminder of his qualities.

But here’s the thing: McKenzie, always battling size issues at the top level, had his opportunities at No 10 for the All Blacks in 2024 and ‘25, and though he had his moments, largely failed to stamp his mark as a legit test-quality starter.

There’s also a suspicion McKenzie might be best employed as a bench specialist. The new coach will want to build a strong impact group – a task Robertson never came to terms with – a la the Boks’ infamous ‘Bomb Squad’, and the thought of D-Mac entering games in the final quarter with his quick thinking and dazzling feet remains an enticing one.

Which brings us back to Love. The kid has game and swag, and what better time to throw him out there than while his confidence is high, he’s in rhythm and he’s surrounded by familiar faces? Remember, Cam Roigard and Jordie Barrett play either side of him at the Canes.

The notoriously conservative Boks went through a similar thought process with their own young No 10, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and we all know how he went when unleashed. Love has a similar instinctive game, young legs and game-changing ability. Let’s see if he’s up to this.

Yeah, it’s a step into the unknown. Of Love’s five test appearances, three have been off the bench and two starts as fullback. But a fresh beginning with a new coach feels like the right time to unfurl the future at 10.

Love-Barrett will be one of the battles within the battle that Rennie will eyeball firmly on Saturday night at Hnry Stadium. Implications are significant.