Nations Championship: Can Billy Proctor grasp his big chance to thrive in All Blacks midfield?
Saturday, 11 July 2026
What: Nations Championship week two, All Blacks v Italy. Where: Hnry Stadium, Wellington. When: 5.10pm Saturday, Sky Sport 1.
Pressure? What pressure? If anybody embodies the opportunity, and the expectation, that hovers over Dave Rennie’s All Blacks early Saturday evening at the Cake Tin, it’s home-town hero Billy Proctor.
And the slick centre was as cool as the other side of the pillow when ruminating on the Italian job that awaits him at a venue that hasn’t exactly been kind to the New Zealanders in recent times, having won just three of their last 10 in the cool confines of the capital’s waterfront stadium. That ledger should at least improve against a side that has never beaten the All Blacks and looks prime for the plucking after a dispiriting 17-point defeat to Japan last week.
“I don’t see it too much as pressure – more opportunity,” said the 27-year-old of his promotion to starting duty this week alongside franchise partner Jordie Barrett in the midfield. “It’s the way you perceive it. If you look at it as pressure or a burden, most of the time that has a negative effect. So I’m just confident in myself and happy to get out there and express myself, and hopefully a performance comes with that.”
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Hopefully.
Proctor is one of a number of All Blacks who will regard this second matchup in the new Nations Championship as a prime-time chance to stake a claim for future opportunity, even if Wellington’s chilly winter looks set to play a part. Alongside the likes of Leroy Carter and Ruben Love in the backline and Wallace Siti, Sam Darry and Luke Jacobson up front, Proctor is still in the formative stages of a test career that can use any box ticks it can get. Likewise Damian McKenzie at the back, where he’s looking to nail down a long-term spot, and keep Will Jordan poaching his tries on the wing.
The Hurricanes centre has started 10 of his 12 tests hitherto at No 13, but probably sits behind Quinn Tupaea on coach Dave Rennie’s midfield pecking order. However, he carries legitimate form and swagger into Saturday’s first test back at the Tin since last year’s record 43-10 humbling at the hands of the Springboks and could enhance his cause with another standout display at the venue where he lifted the Super Rugby trophy just a month back.
“I’m definitely confident,” said Proctor of the impetus provided by an exhilarating campaign with the Hurricanes. “I’m at a point where I feel like I have enough experience and have had enough time out there in the 13 jersey to put my best foot forward and have confidence in myself.”
Rennie conceded his selection this week was a sort of bob-each-way affair. With five starting changes (Proctor, Carter, Sititi, Tupou Vaa’i and Tyrel Lomax come in) and a refreshed bench, he’s looked to spread the selection net a little. Just Beauden Barrett, Kyle Preston, Simon Parker and Patrick Tuipulotu will have failed to see action from his squad at the end of this test.
But he’s also retained key combinations through the lineup. McKenzie and Jordan (just two shy of Doug Howlett’s record try haul) remain in place in the back three, and the all-Canes trio of Cam Roigard, Love and Jordie Barrett sit as a form unit inside Proctor. Skipper Ardie Savea and Luke Jacobson (off what Rennie called his best test in the black jersey) return to the loose trio and Ethan de Groot and Codie Taylor retain their spots in an experienced front row.
If anything, Rennie has dug deepest on his bench, where Samisoni Taukei’aho, George Bower and Pasilio Tosi form a new backup front row and Anton Segner and Josh Moorby get test debuts off the pine. He has pledged to get Segner into the test early to enable a thorough assessment in a competitive loose forward contingent.
He also wants to see improvement after a mixed effort in the 34-32 victory against France. And that speaks largely to the 10 men who start again despite an opponent who tend to quiver at the knees at the sight of the black jersey.
“I loved the mindset last week. There was huge work ethic, our brutality with the ball was excellent and we won a lot of races, which created really quick ball,” said the coach. “It probably wasn’t the same on defence. We want a lot more line-speed, a lot more two in the tackle to give slower ball and create opportunities for turnover pill.
“Maybe [we need] a little more patience. We had opportunities and might have gone too wide, too early. If we’d just gone through the middle a couple more times … we could have profited more. I love the mindset, but we just need to be a little more clinical.”
That’s this Italy test in a nutshell. Rennie has grand plans for these All Blacks, and this return to the capital is a stepping-stone along the way. Improvement is mandatory. Proctor and co are on notice.
All Blacks: Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan, Billy Proctor, Jordie Barrett, Leroy Carter, Ruben Love, Cam Roigard; Ardie Savea (capt), Luke Jacobson, Wallace Sititi, Tupou Vaa’i, Sam Darry, Tyrel Lomax, Codie Taylor, Ethan de Groot. Reserves: Samisoni Taukei’aho, George Bower, Pasilio Tosi, Josh Lord, Anton Segner, Cortez Ratima, Anton Lienert-Brown, Josh Moorby.
Italy: Tommaso Allan, Malik Faissal, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Louis Lynagh, Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Lorenzo Cannone, Michele Lamaro, Ross Vincent, Andrea Zambonin, Niccolo Cannone, Marco Riccioni, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Danilo Fischetti. Reserves: Gianmarco Lucchesi, Mirco Spagnolo, Muhamed Hasa, Giulio Marini, Federico Ruzza, Riccardo Favretto, Alessandro Garbisi, Leonardo Marin.
Referee: Luc Ramos (France).