Barnes reveals weight of axing 80-cap Ioane from first All Blacks squad of 2026

All Blacks lead assistant coach Neil Barnes has defended the omission of 80-cap wing Rieko Ioane from New Zealand’s first squad of 2026, saying the selectors did not take the decision lightly and that form across an entire season — not just recent weeks — drove every tight call.

Ioane, who has been an All Black every year since his debut as a teenager in 2016, was among the most high-profile absentees when head coach Dave Rennie named the squad on Monday. Openside flanker Du’Plessis Kirifi, also a 2025 All Black, was another notable exclusion.

Speaking on Sport Nation’s Scotty and Izzy radio show, Barnes — who joined Rennie and former head coach Sir Graham Henry on the national team’s selection panel — acknowledged the public scrutiny around both positions but insisted the players who came in had earned their places on merit.

“The media will be all over it: the seven position, you’ve got an incumbent All Black that’s missed, and the same on the wing,” Barnes said. “But at the end of the day, the other boys have actually pushed the barrel higher, and it’s not so much about the other player playing poorly as it is about the other players actually producing more, and that needs to be rewarded.”

Barnes pointed to Anton Segner and Josh Moorby as examples of players whose consistency throughout the full season made them impossible to overlook. “If I use Segner as an example, mate, he has been so, so consistent. And Moorby — his whole year, not just that last game, he’s been pushing himself into contention. Those guys have had to work harder than the incumbents to get past them. If it were just even, you’re probably going to stick with the tried and true. I mean, we left out a bloody 80-Test veteran for that opportunity, so you don’t do shit like that lightly.”

Rennie, addressing Ioane’s omission at the squad announcement, confirmed the 29-year-old was disappointed when informed by phone but said he remained in contention for the expanded squad for the upcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the Springboks. Rennie cited Ioane’s versatility as a factor in his favour for any recall.

Barnes also pushed back on the idea that versatility alone was being used as a selection criterion — or as a mark against any player. “Inside of it, you don’t have to have everyone versatile,” he said. “On the loose forwards, I know everyone’s using that as a reason to count against the player, but that had nothing to do with it. You’ve got to have a balance across the back three. You can’t have all people who just play fullback, or just play wing. If you’ve got someone who can cover both and you get injuries, it’s huge.”

New Zealand open their 2026 Nations Championship campaign against France on 4 July.