Blindside flanker Anton Segner has reportedly turned down a significant overseas contract to chase his All Blacks dream — and on The Aftermatch with Kirsten and Bee, the panel argued the Blues loose forward is ready to become Dave Rennie's next bolter, while the weekend's Chiefs-Hurricanes classic in Hamilton handed the national selectors a tactical blueprint for taking down the Springboks.
Segner, a German who moved to New Zealand for high school, has climbed steadily from Tasman to a regular Blues starter, and his weekend work against the Highlanders stood out.
"His footwork and carries in the weekend against the Landers were really, really impressive," Kirsten said, pointing to the back-row's expanding skill set. "I think he's doing everything that you could want from a seven."
Bee went further, reporting that Segner had been offered "decent money" to leave New Zealand and said no because the All Blacks jersey still pulls.
"I think that's great, right? Absolutely. It means something to him. He wants to stay here and he wants to give it a crack."
The pair then floated the marketing dream behind a German-born All Black.
"Could you imagine the story? A German All Black," Kirsten asked. "I mean, he'll make up any loss in income from staying in New Zealand. Don't worry about that. Could you imagine the Eddie Stobart dealer ambassador? I can see it right now."
Bee agreed that a German All Black would be "the poster child" for Adidas and the All Blacks brand, a Venus-and-Serena-style global face of the programme.
Segner's case was sharpened by a Hamilton classic that both hosts rated the best Super Rugby game of the season. The Chiefs edged the Hurricanes via the competition's new "Super Point" extra-time format after Damian McKenzie's charged-down drop attempt fell to Wallace Sititi for the matchwinner. It was a game, the Aftermatch team argued, that Dave Rennie's coaching group will lean on.
Asked whether the match offered a window on how the All Blacks will play under Rennie, Bee answered without hesitation.
"I think we will have more adventure to our kicking game. You look at both teams, both teams tried to move the ball and then kick down channels."
He singled out the transition speed and the lack of "set-piece thinking" off turnover.
"No one was waiting for a kick. No one was thinking, oh, we're gonna set a ruck to kick. There was just right, bang, turnover ball, we're gone. And I think that's what we got to get back to from a national level too."
That quick-ball mindset points directly at the Springboks, whose set-piece dominance has squeezed New Zealand in recent encounters. The Aftermatch's take is that Rennie's All Blacks will lean into tempo, contested kicks, and the ability to strike off phase play rather than relying on structured set-piece raids.
There were bouquets, too, for Chiefs centurion Luke Jacobson, Blues No. 7 Segner's direct rival Cam Roigard, and Chiefs bolter Leroy Carter, who Kirsten and Bee believe is "not even a debate" for Rennie's touring squad.
But the scale of that tour party raised eyebrows. Bee confirmed reports the All Blacks are preparing to take an 80-strong group to South Africa to account for midweek fixtures, a number the hosts both joked about and welcomed.
"Eighty is big, isn't it? How many buses is 80?"
For Segner, the maths is simpler. Stay home, keep stacking quality minutes at Eden Park, and let the Chiefs-Hurricanes template become the national template. The Aftermatch think he will be in Rennie's squad before the year is out — and if that happens, they expect Adidas Germany to be waiting at the airport.
