Barnes hails 'world-class' Mo'unga after first All Blacks start since 2023 World Cup Final

All Blacks assistant coach Neil Barnes has backed Richie Mo’unga as a “world-class player” after the fly-half made his first Test start since the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final, in which New Zealand were beaten 12-43 by the Springboks in Baltimore. Mo’unga’s return came during the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against South Africa, his second appearance for the All Blacks since completing a three-year stint with Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan.

Mo’unga had eased back into match rhythm with Canterbury in the first three rounds of the 2026 Hilux NPC before linking up with the All Blacks squad ahead of the opening Test against South Africa. Barnes, speaking on Weekend Sport on Newstalk ZB, was unequivocal in his assessment of the 30-year-old Crusaders first-five.

“I don’t think anything today he got wrong,” Barnes said. “He’s actually a good player, world-class player. So it’s nice to have him back playing for us.”

Barnes also pointed to the broader benefits of the four-Test series, despite New Zealand finishing on the wrong end of a 3-1 series defeat. For the assistant coach, the depth created across the squad represents a significant positive as the All Blacks build toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup on home soil in Australia.

“A lot of people have played Test rugby and performed very, very well against one of the best sides in the world,” Barnes said. “So there are way more positive things to come out of this than the negative on the 3-1 loss.”

Barnes was candid that the series result was not what the All Blacks wanted, but insisted the squad is in a stronger position for having been tested at the highest level. “We would all love to have come out of this with a positive result on the scorecard, but we didn’t,” he acknowledged. “But there are way more positives that come out of this than anything negative — creating a lot of depth in a lot of positions, which is going to help us on the way through.”

With the World Cup now little more than a year away, Barnes framed the intensity of the South Africa series as ideal preparation. “That’s exactly what you get when you hop into a World Cup if you want to win it,” he said.