Rennie turns to Mo'unga for All Blacks series decider as Barrett ends six-Test absence

Richie Mo’unga will start at fly-half for the All Blacks in the Greatest Rivalry series decider against world champions South Africa in Baltimore, head coach Dave Rennie confirmed this week. Ruben Love, who had started all six Tests of the Rennie era, drops out of the starting XV, while Beauden Barrett earns his first selection under Rennie from the bench.

Mo’unga’s return to Test rugby at No.10 will be his first in the international arena in 1,050 days. The 32-year-old, who regained his New Zealand eligibility after three years in Japan, last wore the black No.10 shirt in a Test match before the 2023 Rugby World Cup final. He did feature in a non-Test midweek fixture against the Lions in Johannesburg three weeks ago — his first minutes in the black jersey since that final — but Baltimore marks his full return to the Test stage.

Rennie said the decision to start Mo’unga was made well before the third game of the series, regardless of the scoreline heading into the decider. “We talked about it a couple of weeks ago, that regardless of the result in Soweto, whether we came here up 2-1 or down 2-1, we were going to start Richie,” Rennie told reporters. “He’s been in the environment for a while, he’s got a really clear understanding of the game that we want to play.”

The coach was careful to frame Love’s omission as a mark of the trust placed in him rather than a loss of confidence. “Ruben’s gone really well; he’s played the first six Tests of the year. When I spoke to him, I stressed that last week was probably the biggest Test the All Blacks have played since the World Cup final, and we trusted him to run the ship ahead of three more experienced 10s. That highlights where we see him.”

For Barrett, the No.23 jersey ends a wait that Rennie openly acknowledged has been difficult. New Zealand’s most-capped back of all time had been absent from all six international squads selected under Rennie prior to this fixture. His 145th Test cap, should he take the field in Baltimore, would leave him just three behind Richie McCaw on the all-time appearances list — McCaw sits second with 153, behind Sam Whitelock on 153.

Rennie said Barrett’s name had “constantly” featured in selection discussions and that this decider was always seen as the right moment to “make those shifts.” He added that Barrett has the chance to “make a bit of a statement and put a bit of pressure on us long-term, selection-wise.”

The bench backline is completed by Kyle Preston at scrum-half and Rieko Ioane, with Rennie explaining the logic behind the combination. “With Rieks on the bench, he covers midfield and outside back, and with KP covering nine, it gives us a chance to have genuine 10/15 cover if we lost someone,” he said.