Richie Mo'unga remains ineligible for All Blacks’ tour of South Africa but is only one injury away from a call-up
Tuesday, 30 June 2026
ANALYSIS: Richie Mo’unga won’t be on the plane to South Africa unless there is an injury at No 10 - or possibly fullback - despite the ongoing debate about his All Blacks eligibility.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie poured some petrol on the embers of that discussion on Sunday, saying rather cryptically: “We are working through that. Current criteria means that we can't pick him direct, but we will see what happens.”
However, The Press understands there are no current discussions ongoing between the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby management, and that the NZ Rugby board’s formal position on Mo’unga hasn’t changed.
As it stands, Mo’unga will make his return to rugby via his club, Linwood, or Canterbury, and is still required to play in the NPC for his province.
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The timeline on that return is unclear after Rennie revealed that Mo’unga has a calf niggle.
The 32-year-old has not played since his Japanese side Toshiba Brave Lupus lost to Kubota Spears on May 24, a defeat that could also bring down the curtain on Todd Blackadder’s time in charge of the club, if murmurs out of Japan prove to be correct.
But there is still a way for Mo’unga to be involved in the tour to South Africa under current eligibility settings.
If Beauden Barrett, Ruben Love or Damian McKenzie get injured in the coming weeks, Rennie could ask NZ Rugby to replace the unavailable player with Mo’unga.
There is also a chance that Rennie could appeal to NZ Rugby to make Mo’unga available if he loses a fullback to injury.
In that instance, Rennie could argue that he would need to shift one of McKenzie, Barrett or Love to No 15, creating a gap at first-five.
NZ Rugby is unlikely to be so inflexible as to deny that request, The Press understands.
Mo’unga took part in the recent All Blacks training camp for players not involved in the Super Rugby Pacific final, and Rennie’s desire to involve him as much as possible is understandable.
The All Blacks are about to start an intense and demanding period leading up to the Rugby World Cup, starting on Saturday against France in Christchurch.
During this period the All Blacks will play the Springboks six times and they will play 17 games this year alone, including the tour fixtures against the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and Lions.
The addition of the Anzac Day Bledisloe test in Brisbane in 2027 means that the All Blacks could play up to eight tests next year even before the Rugby World Cup begins.
Mo’unga, who could yet line up for Canterbury in their season-opener against Auckland at One NZ Stadium on August 1, is clearly going to be a key player for Rennie over the next 18 months.
However, he still won’t be part of the South Africa tour unless there is an injury elsewhere.