Rennie shifts Vaa'i to blindside to build bigger pack against Ireland at Eden Park

Dave Rennie has selected Tupou Vaa’i at blindside flanker for the All Blacks’ Test against Ireland at Eden Park, shifting the 26-year-old lock out of the second row to give New Zealand a more physically imposing pack. Vaa’i will join Luke Jacobson and Ardie Savea in the back row as Andy Farrell’s Ireland side arrive in Auckland targeting an end to New Zealand’s 52-game unbeaten run at the ground.

It will be Vaa’i’s sixth Test start at No.6, a position he first occupied in New Zealand’s 2023 Rugby World Cup opener against France. Rennie is now the third successive All Blacks head coach to turn to the versatile forward for the role, and he was direct about his reasoning.

“He gives us a bigger lineout, a bigger pack. We feel he’s got a skill set that suits what we want and are keen to give him another crack there,” Rennie told reporters in Auckland on Thursday. Asked whether the selection signalled a longer-term shift, the coach was measured: “We’ll judge things as we go.”

The decision is a pointed response to Ireland’s well-documented ability to suffocate opponents through set-piece pressure and field position. “Ireland are very good, they’re very disciplined, they’ll put you in a corner, and they’ll hurt you down there,” Rennie said. “So we’ve picked a pack that we think can compete and hopefully give us an edge.”

The move comes at the direct expense of Wallace Sititi, who started at blindside the previous week but struggled — leading the game in carries while also conceding the most turnovers and penalties in his position. Rennie confirmed Sititi is fit but has not done enough to retain his place.

“It’s fair to say he wasn’t at his best on the weekend,” Rennie said. “He was pretty good off the bench the week before, and there’s a lot of competition for places there. He’ll play a lot of footy for us this year, but he’s got a reasonably clear message around what we need to see from him — and I’m really happy with the response we’ve got out of him this week.”

The No.6 jersey remains a sensitive topic among All Blacks supporters, with memories of Scott Barrett’s ill-fated trial in the position during the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat to England still fresh. Vaa’i’s redeployment, however, is rooted in a different logic — lineout height and carrying power rather than tactical experiment — and Rennie’s squad depth at loose forward means the decision carries less risk than it might otherwise appear.