Rennie explains Kirifi's All Blacks absence: discipline stats cost him his place

All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has offered a candid explanation for why Du’Plessis Kirifi continues to be overlooked for New Zealand selection, citing the Hurricanes co-captain’s discipline at the breakdown as the decisive factor.

Kirifi last wore the black jersey during the end-of-year Northern Tour in 2025, appearing in the 52-26 win over Wales in Cardiff. Despite being tipped for a prominent role under Rennie, the eight-Test openside flanker has since missed the 34-man July Nations Championship squad, the South Africa tour, and the Bledisloe Cup series — even as loose-forward injuries to All Blacks captain Ardie Savea and Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson opened the door for fringe selections.

Rennie instead turned to Simon Parker, Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai, Ethan Blackadder, Anton Segner, and Shannon Frizell to cover his loose-forward positions. Speaking on Newstalk ZB’s Weekend Sport with Jason Pine, the coach addressed the growing debate around Kirifi directly.

“Look, he’s an excellent player. But if he was the best seven in the country in our opinion, we would have picked him,” Rennie said. “Post tackle is his point of difference, and the feedback we’ve given Dupes is around technique and trying to be a lot more flawless there.”

Rennie drew a pointed comparison between Kirifi and Segner to illustrate the issue. “He gets penalised as many times as he does rewarded, versus someone like Anton Segner, who got 22 turnovers and got penalised twice during Super Rugby — and at the higher you go, the tougher the referees are around you being legal.”

The coach acknowledged the position remains competitive, noting that Lakai and Savea have both been used at openside, but framed that depth as a positive rather than a barrier for Kirifi to overcome.

Rennie also addressed the selection of 145-Test veteran Beauden Barrett in the outside backs for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup series. Having featured Barrett in all three of his squads in 2026, the coach was effusive about the playmaker’s influence both on and off the field.

“I hadn’t coached Beauden before this and coached against him a lot. Geez, he’s impressive. He trains the house down, and he’s a big driver of the culture and the legacy,” Rennie said, adding that Barrett’s mentorship of younger squad members had been particularly notable. “I still think he’s got a massive amount to offer for the black jersey.”