Dave Rennie named 44 players for the tour of South Africa and left out several who expected to be on the plane. Round one of the Bunnings NPC, played over the weekend of 31 July to 2 August, gave those men their first chance to answer back — and most of them took it.
The most debated omission was Du'Plessis Kirifi. The Hurricanes co-captain had just led his side to a 60-5 dismantling of the Chiefs in the Super Rugby Pacific final and was still overlooked for a squad that carried 44 names. His first outing since that final came in Wellington's 52-33 home loss to Hawke's Bay at Hnry Stadium, a 13-try, 85-point game the Lions largely lost inside the opening quarter.
Kirifi's individual return was not the problem: three turnovers, 12 carries, seven tackles and a 67th-minute try, taken from the base of a driving maul before he darted left into a gap in the Magpies' defensive line.
Rennie has been careful in explaining the call, framing it as a numbers problem rather than a verdict on Kirifi.
"I spoke to a handful of guys, so I'm not going to go into massive detail, but as you've seen with the guys that we used in the Nations Championship, those boys fronted well for us," Rennie said when naming the squad. "Luke Jacobson, Anton Segner, Peter Lakai, Ardie can all play seven, and certainly Dupes is a good player and had a good season, and so there's good players who've missed out, and not just him."
He then said the part that will matter most to everyone in the NPC over the next two months. "So his job is to go away, keep working hard, be ready if an opportunity arises. I'd be surprised that we don't call someone out at some stage."
Noah Hotham has been more openly stung. The Crusaders scrum-half was widely expected to be a fourth No.9 alongside Cam Roigard, Cortez Ratima and Kyle Preston; instead Rennie added no extra halfback to the touring party and has pencilled in winger Leroy Carter as emergency cover there.
"It's been frustrating, but I could only control what I did at Super Rugby and I put my best foot forward, I thought, and did everything I could," Hotham told Newstalk ZB. "I'm disappointed with the selection of ABs, but that's footy. I guess it's just part of the journey and every good sailor has to go through some rough seas before they get to the smooth ones."
The 23-year-old, who has three Test caps, started for Tasman against North Harbour in Nelson and says the conversations since have clarified what he is being asked to do.
"It probably wasn't clear at the start, but I've had a few convos that I think I needed and I guess it's a case of staying ready and if I do get an opportunity, or when I get an opportunity, to really nail it," he said.
Others made their point on the scoreboard. Otago flanker Lucas Casey, another who missed the tour, scored twice in the 41-14 win over Southland on Stag Day in Invercargill, one of them an 80-metre effort in which he outpaced three outside backs. Razorbacks skipper Christian Lio-Willie also bagged a double in the same match. Otago sit top of the early table on five points, level with Northland, Hawke's Bay, Waikato, Canterbury and Tasman.
Hawke's Bay's win in the capital produced the individual performance of the round. Lock Hunter Morrison, 23 and with just two starts in 14 appearances for the Magpies since 2022, delivered 16 tackles, two turnovers and three lineout takes in 56 minutes, plus a try in which he broke through one Wellington defender and carried another over the line. RugbyPass writer Adam Julian rated him the standout of the weekend, and it is not a stretch to say the 195cm, 114kg lock has moved himself onto a list he was nowhere near a week ago.
All Blacks tour captain Codie Taylor, speaking from Cape Town, made clear the touring squad has been watching the domestic competition closely, singling out Richie Mo'unga's match-winning try for Canterbury against Auckland.
"Who else but R Mo to get the job done. It's been a long time and I know he's been real excited to get back in the red and black hoops," Taylor said. "R Mo seems to be one of those people that good things happen around him or he creates them. He's done it for a long time and we witnessed that again last night."
Round two is where the auditions get harder. Wellington travel to Auckland at Western Springs on Saturday, Hawke's Bay host Tasman at McLean Park, and Canterbury go to Forsyth Barr Stadium on Sunday to challenge Otago for the Ranfurly Shield. With four Tests against the Springboks still to come and a 44-man squad certain to take knocks, Rennie's warning that someone will get a call is less a consolation than a live invitation.
