Rennie reveals work-rate concerns keeping Tavatavanawai out of All Blacks plans

Dave Rennie has shed light on why Timoci Tavatavanawai, one of Super Rugby’s most destructive ball-carriers, remains on the fringes of All Blacks selection, pointing to off-the-ball work rate as the defining gap between the Highlanders centre and a regular Test jersey.

Tavatavanawai beat 81 defenders in 13 Super Rugby games this season — leading the competition for the second consecutive year by 17 breaks over nearest rival Leictester Fainga’anuku — yet his entire Test career amounts to just 39 minutes of game time. The 28-year-old, known widely as ‘Big Jim’, has also earned a reputation as an elite jackal threat, but the numbers off the ball have not yet matched his impact on it.

“Big Jim’s fantastic when he’s close to the ball; his carry, tackle, and post-tackle are excellent,” Rennie said when asked about another omission at last week’s squad announcement. “His work rate has got better, and so that’s a continued focus for him. The type of game that we play, we need our midfielders doing a hell of a lot of work off the ball, and we feel the guys that we’ve picked are better in that area.”

Rennie confirmed the decision to include Tavatavanawai in the All Blacks’ South Africa tour was a deliberate attempt to accelerate that development. “We felt if we didn’t take him there and didn’t get him moving, he’s probably unlikely to be an option at the World Cup,” the coach said. “He’s gone well, and he may well feature, if not next week, then on the end of year tour.”

Reports from training windows in South Africa and Baltimore painted a telling picture: while other positional groups worked on specialist skills, Tavatavanawai and rookie teammate Semisi Ta’eiloa were consistently put through cardio sessions — a clear signal of where the coaching staff believe the work needs to be done.

A further subplot emerged when Tavatavanawai wore the No.13 jersey for Tasman two weeks ago, only the third time in his professional career he has been named at centre rather than his customary 12. Rennie downplayed any deliberate All Blacks influence on that decision. “We didn’t ask for that,” he said. “Our midfielders might wear 12 and 13, but at times they’re swapping roles. I bet they tend to swap in and out.”

With Jordie Barrett and Quinn Tupaea currently forming a settled centre partnership for New Zealand, Tavatavanawai’s path into the starting XV remains narrow — but Rennie’s comments suggest the door is not closed, particularly with the Rugby World Cup in Australia on the horizon.