Winners and Losers: A Look at the First All Blacks Squad of the Year

As the All Blacks kick off a new international campaign, all eyes are on the squad selections and the performances that influenced them. The recent All Blacks XV tour, featuring matches against Japan and Georgia, offered a critical platform for fringe players and rising stars to make their case for higher honors. While some players seized the moment and elevated their reputations, others were left with lingering questions about their international prospects. Here's a breakdown of the biggest winners and those who may have missed the mark.

Rising Stars Shine Through – Winners
Du’Plessis Kirifi: Kirifi delivered standout performances, cleaning up nearly 30 tackles across two games and showing great discipline with zero penalties. His physicality and tenacity mark him as a strong leadership candidate for the All Blacks.

Locks Trio: The three starting locks dominated lineouts and breakdowns. Fabian Holland, just 22, earned a call-up to the senior team and claimed a Man of the Match award in the Munster clash. Isaia Walker-Leawere made impactful tackles and carried strongly, despite a yellow card, while Naitoa Ah Kuoi led defensive stats with 16 stops and added nine carries.

Quinn Tupaea (Backline Brute): Tupaea delivered a robust combination of ball-carrying and defensive work, making 13 carries in Limerick and high tackle counts in both matches. His relentless style makes him ready for full national honors.

Missed Chances – Losers
Front‑row Depth: The front row struggled, especially in scrums against Georgia. Despite being a development side, the selectors chose older pack members (Bower, Eklund, Renata) to face heavy scrummaging—providing less exposure for younger props like Slater, Numia, and Ma’u.

Limited Game Time for Young Reserves: Backup players such as Slater and Ma’u had minimal involvement, while George Dyer started over them initially, indicating missed opportunities for emerging front-rowers.

Honorable Mentions
Several players narrowly missed inclusion in the main highlight reel but still showed promise:

Loose-forwards Corey Kellow and Devan Flanders, and outside backs Kini Naholo and Shaun Stevenson all impressed.

Riley Higgins stepped up in the Georgia match, while Noah Hotham further cemented his potential after already earning an All Blacks cap at just 21.