Mo'unga warns All Blacks face a dangerous Wallabies side buoyed by Springboks scalp

Richie Mo’unga has put the All Blacks on notice ahead of next weekend’s Bledisloe Cup opener at Eden Park, warning that a Wallabies side on a five-game winning streak under Les Kiss will be a far more dangerous proposition than in recent trans-Tasman meetings.

Mo’unga, who has faced Australia twelve times in his international career, was speaking after New Zealand named a 34-man squad for the two-Test series. He singled out the Wallabies’ hard-fought 42-38 win over the Springboks last weekend as evidence of a team rapidly growing in stature.

“After watching the Aussies on the weekend, it should be really exciting,” Mo’unga told Newstalk ZB’s D’Arcy Waldegrave. “Even if you take the weekend’s result out of the equation, any Aussie team you play against is a real threat. I think after the weekend, they would have grown an arm and a leg. So we’ve got a big challenge ahead as a team, but one we’re really looking forward to. We can’t wait to get stuck in.”

The All Blacks arrive at the series on an eleven-game winning run against Australia stretching back to the start of the decade, but Mo’unga’s own involvement in that sequence has been limited. His last appearance against the Wallabies came off the bench in Dunedin in the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup — a game he helped swing with a match-winning contribution.

His return to the All Blacks fold last month came with plenty of adjustment. New teammates, new coaching staff, and a noticeably different operational culture all had to be absorbed quickly.

“A lot was new,” Mo’unga said. “I came back in and I met half the team for the first time — the likes of Wallace Sititi and Peter Lakai, those guys weren’t there when I was last here, or even in Super Rugby. As well as meeting new teammates for the first time, meeting new coaching staff, and just the different way the All Blacks are operating now, it was really good to get in and learn.”

Despite the changes, Mo’unga was quick to note that the core demands of the environment have not shifted. “One thing still remains the same: it’s the high intensity, the pressure of the environment, and the level of rugby that you have to be playing. You have to be operating at a really high level to be part of this team.”

The playmaker also offered an early endorsement of new head coach Dave Rennie, praising his directness with players. “One thing I really do enjoy about Rens is how honest and transparent he is with each and every single one of the players. He’s really honest with what he expects. And he’s just a good human and has really big plans for this All Blacks team and the way we want to play and spread the ball, which is exciting for me as a player that likes to do that as well.”