Rennie warns All Blacks fringe trio there are 'no guarantees' on Northern Tour

Dave Rennie has told All Blacks fringe players Chay Fihaki, Josh Jacomb, and Saula Ma’u that their places on the Nations Championship Northern Tour carry no automatic right to Test minutes, as New Zealand prepare for the final two matches of their four-Test trip.

Speaking in Cardiff ahead of the Wales Test, Rennie acknowledged that all three players had already worn the jersey — Fihaki on debut off the bench at Sydney’s Accor Stadium in the 2026 Bledisloe Cup against Australia, and Jacomb and Ma’u during the South Africa leg — but said experience and squad balance ultimately drove his selection thinking.

“There are no guarantees. We talk a lot about earning the right to play, and all three of the guys who missed out in selection in the first two weeks have all played in the jersey before,” Rennie said. “We just decided in the end it will give us a little bit more experience. If we got under pressure with so many guys lacking experience, it could put us under a bit of pressure.”

Jacomb, the new Highlanders recruit, started the midweek Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry fixture against the Bulls in Pretoria and came off the bench against both the Lions and the Sharks, but finds himself fourth in the fly-half pecking order behind Ruben Love, Damian McKenzie, and Richie Mo’unga — with Beauden Barrett also available at No. 10.

Ma’u featured off the bench in the All Blacks’ 41-35 victory over the Lions in Johannesburg but is currently behind tighthead props Fletcher Newell and Pasilio Tosi in the selection order. Fihaki could yet force his way into contention for the England Test if Will Jordan fails to recover from a hamstring tear picked up against Scotland, though Rennie suggested that outcome remains unlikely.

On Jordan’s fitness, Rennie offered cautious optimism. “He’s a chance to be available in the last week. He’s got boxes to tick along the way — he’s been doing a little bit of strength work over the last couple of days, and the plan is to run him Saturday. If he has any setbacks, then he’s likely to return home, but at this stage he’s a chance.”

Rennie also stressed that selection for the Wales match was partly a matter of respect for the opposition. “We’ve picked a side that we think will show some respect for them,” he said, adding that Richie Mo’unga’s return to fitness was a key factor in shaping the squad’s composition.

For Fihaki, Jacomb, and Ma’u, the message from their head coach is clear: the door is not closed, but it will only open through performance in training and continued pressure on those ahead of them.