Rennie hails Segner and Moorby after injury-forced All Blacks debuts in Italy rout

Dave Rennie has backed Anton Segner and Josh Moorby to build on their All Blacks debuts after both players were thrust into action ahead of schedule during New Zealand’s 30-point Nations Championship victory over Italy at Hnry Stadium in Wellington.

A crowd of 33,000 saw the All Blacks pull away in the third quarter, but the match was shaped in part by two first-half injuries. Hurricanes winger Josh Moorby became All Black #1236 when Leroy Carter was forced off with an AC joint injury, while Segner replaced Luke Jacobson at halftime after the loose forward reported a tight calf.

Rennie drew a flattering comparison when assessing Moorby’s contribution, likening the debutant’s footballing ability to that of Will Jordan — who on the same evening became the All Blacks’ all-time leading try scorer in Test matches against Italy.

“Josh got on a little bit earlier than planned, and he’s such a good footballer,” Rennie said in his post-match interview.

For Segner, the first German-born All Black, the halftime introduction was slightly earlier than anticipated, but Rennie was equally complimentary. “Anton, we put on at halftime — nice and direct, carried hard and defended well — and so both had great, great debuts,” the head coach said.

Segner, listed at 120 kg and 185 cm, arrived in the All Blacks squad having helped the Chiefs to a competition-best 96.8 per cent scrum success rate en route to a Super Rugby final appearance. His impact coincided with a burst of four tries in the third quarter that effectively settled the contest.

The 25-year-old was measured in his own assessment, crediting Italy for the physical challenge they posed before the All Blacks found their rhythm. “I thought we really stepped up in the second half. Credit to the Italians, especially in the first half — I thought physically they dominated us,” Segner told media in Wellington.