Scott Robertson makes ‘tight’ captaincy call and a Disgraceful’ decision as All Blacks squad winners and losers set to meet England and Fiji.

Here are our winners and losers after Scott Robertson’s All Blacks roster was revealed to play Fiji and England on New Zealand soil.

Prior to leading the national team in its first Tests next month, the new head coach has chosen a 32-man squad.

After losing a number of great players, Robertson is trying to rebuild, and he has made some intriguing choices regarding their July matches.
victors
A new skipper has been appointed.
It has been chosen who will captain after much discussion. Taking over for Sam Cane, Scott Barrett becomes the newest All Blacks captain, following in the footsteps of greats past. In the end, Barrett’s Crusaders connection gave him the advantage over Ardie Savea in a close call between the lock and the back-rower.

It was a toss-up otherwise because both are elite athletes and charismatic leaders in their own right, but it is not shocking that Robertson has chosen to stick with what he knows. Despite the odd disciplinary incident, the second-row has developed into one of the league’s top back five forwards and will lead with distinction.

After stellar seasons in Super Rugby Pacific, George Bell, Pasilio Tosi, Cortez Ratima, Billy Proctor, and Wallace Sititi are congratulated on being included in an All Blacks team for the first time.

Tosi, who has played both starting and bench for the Hurricanes, is perhaps the major bolter, but Robertson clearly thinks highly of the tighthead prop who moved from number eight to the front row a few years back.

In other front-row action, hooker Bell receives recognition for his outstanding efforts in a struggling Crusaders squad, and number eight Sititi is included at the other end of the pack and Super Rugby table. The 21-year-old, who is the son of Samoan superstar Semo, is a promising youngster who might be chosen to start at the base of the scrum if Ardie Savea is moved to the openside.

Ratima has excelled behind the scrum with Sititi at the Chiefs; the two make a fantastic eight-nine combination, and Ratima is duly given a shot in the 32. Given New Zealand’s dearth of depth at the position, the half-back has the best opportunity of the uncapped quintet to play a significant role next month.

Proctor may also be considered following a stellar 2024 season for the Hurricanes, but let’s face it, Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane are the preferred center duo, with Anton Lienert-Brown serving as a dependable backup at either 12 or 13.

Despite showing a lot of promise during his career, 2024 might be the year the powerful hooker realizes his full potential. Though it has taken him some time to develop in senior rugby, Aumua is one of the best age-grade players we have ever seen, as evidenced by his multiple barnstorming efforts during the 2017 World Rugby U20 Championship.

Now is Aumua’s chance to seize it, with Dane Coles retired, Samisoni Taukei’aho sidelined due to injury, and Codie Taylor beginning his final Test career phase. Let’s hope he can replicate that form at the Test level because his work ethic has increased and his game’s technical aspects have significantly improved.

T.J. Perenara
The scrum-half put in a lot of effort to heal from a serious injury that kept him out of the Rugby World Cup in November 2022, and his efforts have paid off as he has been called up. The All Blacks are lacking depth at scrum-half, as has already been noted, but this is undoubtedly a form-based selection.

Perenara has been outstanding for the Hurricanes since returning to action in March, and they finished atop the Super Rugby table as a result. It wouldn’t be shocking if he started for New Zealand against England in July as he is still a top scrum-half.

Robertson Scott and his dependable Crusaders.

Although the players who were chosen found great joy in the moment, the new All Blacks head coach would have experienced something equally remarkable. Following the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Robertson was denied the opportunity to replace Ian Foster. On Monday, he properly picked his first squad.

While some were worried Robertson would rely too much on the Crusaders despite their awful season, there were a few intriguing decisions. Nevertheless, the team is ultimately well-balanced, with only a few selections maybe impacted by the All Blacks boss’s history.

Undoubtedly, one of those is the back row, where Ethan Blackadder enters. Although the selection of the loose forward is justifiable because he is an amazing player, some may have chosen not to select the back-rower because of his injury history. Robertson, who played many games towards the conclusion of the Super Rugby season, does, however, have a legitimate amount of faith in Blackadder.

Hoskins Sotutu

Supporters of the All Blacks, who were stunned to learn of the number eight’s absence, have already greeted his absence on social media with the terms “disgraceful” and “embarrassing,” so it is understandable that he would be irritated.

It’s certainly not the Blues star’s great physical prowess or skill set with the ball in hand, but there may still be questions about his work ethic in close quarters. Even though Sotutu can off-load and make large carries, he still needs to put in more work to succeed at the Test level. Right now, it seems that the details surrounding the contact area are letting him down.

The impact of Jason Ryan might also be significant in this case. After Ryan assumed leadership of the forwards in the middle of 2022, Sotutu was involved at first, but he was not in the mix in 2023 and will now miss the start of the 2024 Test season.

Players with injuries

While some injuries are unavoidable, Sam Cane, Will Jordan, Taukei’aho, and Cam Roigard were specifically mentioned as being out of the lineup in this squad update, indicating that they would have been in if they had been healthy.

That is especially intriguing in the case of Cane, who, upon the signing of a long-term contract in Japan in 2025, said that 2024 would be his final Test season. Although many would not consider the former captain to be engaged at all, it seems that Robertson is still considering an experienced flanker.

Regarding the other players, Roigard was a true breakout star in 2023 and would have been a strong contender to start at scrum-half this year. It is unfortunate that Jordan is still dealing with injuries. Later in the year, hopefully, they will all get the opportunity to wear an All Blacks shirt.

Ardie Savea
Given that Savea is still an essential component of the All Blacks lineup, it must be claimed that this is a “loser” with a tiny “l”. The star number eight would have undoubtedly desired to be captain, but it doesn’t take away from his significance to the team in the end.

Scott Barrett has been named vice captain, and Savea is still the greatest player in the world in his position. Even though taking on the leadership role would have been an incredible honor and privilege, it wasn’t meant to be this time.

Hurricanes stars are underappreciated
Given that the majority of the 50/50 rulings went against their players, the Wellington guys may feel the most cheated. While Tosi stands out as the unexpected choice, other players such as Peter Lakai, Xavier Numia, Brayden Iose, Brett Cameron, and Ruben Love were also raising their hands. A little unfortunate, given the lockout problems facing the All Blacks, is even Isaia Walker-Leawere.

After a string of excellent performances, the Hurricanes won the Super Rugby Pacific in 2024. They lost to the Chiefs in the last-four, which prevented them from making the championship game, but their efforts undoubtedly merited greater praise. The one warning sign is that such people are still young and have plenty of time to push their way in.

Stevenson Shaun
At this point, it almost seems inevitable that the Chiefs’ top full-back will go overseas and make a ton of money. It’s obvious that Foster was never a fan, and Robertson hasn’t picked up the flier either.

Although the back three are constantly fiercely competitive, Stevenson never seems to be recognized for his excellent play. Although he hasn’t performed as well as he did last year, it is unfortunate that he has once again gone unnoticed given his consistent performance.