Barrett and Frizell return as Taylor captains All Blacks' 34-man Bledisloe Cup squad

Scott Barrett and Shannon Frizell have been named in a 34-man All Blacks squad for the Bledisloe Cup series against Australia, with the pair set to make their first appearances of 2026. Head coach Dave Rennie confirmed the selections ahead of the opening Test at Eden Park in Auckland next weekend, with Codie Taylor appointed captain in the absence of the injured Ardie Savea and Luke Jacobson.

Taylor’s captaincy is one of the headline stories from the announcement. Both Savea and Jacobson are likely to miss the remainder of the season with their respective injuries, leaving the hooker to step up after impressing as Tour Captain during the recent Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

“To lead this team is a massive honour, and I know I’m lucky to have a lot of good leaders around me who make that job easier,” Taylor said. “Ardie has done an outstanding job for us this year, and we’re all gutted he’s not with us. We’ll be doing everything we can to make him proud.”

Rennie was equally effusive about the return of Barrett and Frizell. “Scott has had a challenging stretch on the sidelines, and we’re thrilled to have his experience and leadership back in the group,” the head coach said. “Shannon brings plenty of Test experience and physical impact to our loose forwards.”

Playmakers Josh Jacomb, Richie Mo’unga, and Beauden Barrett are all included, though Ruben Love will miss the series with an ankle injury. Patrick Tuipulotu, Ollie Norris, Billy Proctor, Anton Lienert-Brown, and Caleb Clarke are also absent through injury, while Blues lock Sam Darry and Chiefs outside-back Emoni Narawa miss out on selection. Anton Segner and Quinn Tupaea have recovered from minor injuries to earn places in the squad.

Rennie framed the Bledisloe Cup as a significant test following the lessons of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour. “We’ve learnt a lot about our game and about ourselves, and it gave a lot of guys valuable time in the jersey,” he said. “The Bledisloe Cup means a huge amount to this team. We’ve held it since 2003 and we don’t take that for granted. Australia will be a real challenge — it’s now a very experienced Wallabies side who have played a lot of Test footy together.”

New Zealand have not relinquished the Bledisloe Cup in over two decades, but Rennie was careful not to underestimate a Wallabies side that has grown in cohesion under their own coaching staff. The All Blacks open the series at home before the contest moves across the Tasman.