Rieko will get some sort of opportunity in South Africa given all the tour games but the odds are stacked against him given he doesn't seem a natural fit for the ABs new attack given he's not exactly known for a linking game, is not the athlete he once was, struggles under the high ball and doesnt have a kicking game whatsoever.
Ioane is obviously relying on injuries, loss of form, or a change in favour from the coaches to break into the 23. At centre, he’d probably need to surpass two players to earn a bench spot at least. It’s not unimaginable, given how many wings from the initial squad are injured at the same time. Ideally, though, there won’t be any injuries and the coaches pick either Tupaea or Proctor, stick with them and the defensive issues are fixed.
@Mr-Fish said in All Blacks 2026:
With Codie Taylor being a part of the leadership group, does that indicate he's likely to remain in the 23?
Also interesting that Jacobson is in there - shows how well regarded he is. No Ethan de Groot, Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa'i etc.
Dane Coles was part of the leadership group in his last years but was more of a squady.
@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@booboo see if that's the case, you've got to call into question how bad a coach Vern and team are. Rieko still did his tuck and duck at SR level.
I'd love it if his time at Leinster has led to him holding the ball in two hands, using his feet and a lot more guile... but I'm skeptical.
He's been playing centre at the Blues for ages, so there's Leon too . It's like the BB only chip kicks because Robertson told him to argument.
I think they're both in the same category. They're either a busted flush or were used appallingly by previous coaches.
Get them both into the environment and let Rennie make a decision on whether they're good enough for his style.
He should have a definitive answer by the end of SA. I say "he" as regardless of how they go I doubt many on here will change their minds.
For me they're both in the category of good options to have should multiple injuries strike (at 15 but not 10 for BB) - and that's happened at wing already.
There would be very few on here who don't want players to succeed when they're playing for the ABs - that's quite a different thing to preferring someone else get a go when discussing selection. e.g. Jacobson's selection at 7 was mostly disliked, but he played well against France.
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
I assume LF would have been next on the plane before Rieko if not for injury...
Dear lord. After the meltdowns due to Proctor missing one tackle I can imagine LF at centre. His defence is easily the worst of the options.
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@Bones said in All Blacks 2026:
@booboo see if that's the case, you've got to call into question how bad a coach Vern and team are. Rieko still did his tuck and duck at SR level.
I'd love it if his time at Leinster has led to him holding the ball in two hands, using his feet and a lot more guile... but I'm skeptical.
He's been playing centre at the Blues for ages, so there's Leon too . It's like the BB only chip kicks because Robertson told him to argument.
I think they're both in the same category. They're either a busted flush or were used appallingly by previous coaches.
Get them both into the environment and let Rennie make a decision on whether they're good enough for his style.
He should have a definitive answer by the end of SA. I say "he" as regardless of how they go I doubt many on here will change their minds.
For me they're both in the category of good options to have should multiple injuries strike (at 15 but not 10 for BB) - and that's happened at wing already.
There would be very few on here who don't want players to succeed when they're playing for the ABs - that's quite a different thing to preferring someone else get a go when discussing selection. e.g. Jacobson's selection at 7 was mostly disliked, but he played well against France.
I'd agree with you on the category they're in, including BB at 15 instead of 10.
But there's some pretty closed minded people on here that think he's stunk up the joint and not played well for 10 years and Rieko has never been a centre.
Even if they put out a motm performance I doubt those people would accept they weren't kak.
@ACT-Crusader said in All Blacks 2026:
@booboo I’m not sure if that is what happened though. Jordie essentially became the ‘hit it up’ player. Allowing Ioane to get second or third phase ball more often to create from.
I wish the coaches would’ve kept him on the wing. Not saying he was terrible at centre, and he certainly filled the role admirably at the 23RWC, but for me that wasn’t his best footy. His best was on the left wing and even the few occasions he filled in on the right. One thing was pretty evident to me too, him and Clarke defending in tandem on the left side did not work.
Apart from this year the Blues have consistently been top 1 or 2 in defense for most of the 20's with Ioane and Clarke there.
People don't realise the tighter games get the less centre's pass. For example Jessie Kriel didn't pass once in the RWC 2023 final. Defense wins games in these showdowns and if its a choice between defense and passing game you're probably better off choosing defense.
RWC finals are historically not a game that produces champagne rugby where the Bruce Robertson style centre glides around players and puts their wing into space.
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
People don't realise the tighter games get the less centre's pass. For example Jessie Kriel didn't pass once in the RWC 2023 final. Defense wins games in these showdowns and if its a choice between defense and passing game you're probably better off choosing defense.
RWC finals are historically not a game that produces champagne rugby where the Bruce Robertson style centre glides around players and puts their wing into space.
I actually think this line of thinking is a bit overdone. Maybe if Kriel had passed a couple of times it wouldn't have been quite so squeaky bum against a worse team with 14 players.
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
People don't realise the tighter games get the less centre's pass. For example Jessie Kriel didn't pass once in the RWC 2023 final. Defense wins games in these showdowns and if its a choice between defense and passing game you're probably better off choosing defense.
RWC finals are historically not a game that produces champagne rugby where the Bruce Robertson style centre glides around players and puts their wing into space.
I actually think this line of thinking is a bit overdone. Maybe if Kriel had passed a couple of times it wouldn't have been quite so squeaky bum against a worse team with 14 players.
Well you could say the same thing about Conrad Smith in 2011 or Jaque Fourie in 2007 when a strong South African team struggled against an extremely average England side.
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@reprobate said in All Blacks 2026:
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
People don't realise the tighter games get the less centre's pass. For example Jessie Kriel didn't pass once in the RWC 2023 final. Defense wins games in these showdowns and if its a choice between defense and passing game you're probably better off choosing defense.
RWC finals are historically not a game that produces champagne rugby where the Bruce Robertson style centre glides around players and puts their wing into space.
I actually think this line of thinking is a bit overdone. Maybe if Kriel had passed a couple of times it wouldn't have been quite so squeaky bum against a worse team with 14 players.
Well you could say the same thing about Conrad Smith in 2011 or Jaque Fourie in 2007 when a strong South African team struggled against an extremely average England side.
Or you could talk about '87, '95 (but for the sickness), '99, '15, '19.
All the semis and quarters are knockout footy too, and they're not all single figures dour shitfights. Games get closer at the pointy end, so sure, defence gets more important, but so do moments of brilliant attack.
I also think there's a bias in that when attack wins the day the result tends not to be so close, and then people go 'oh it just wasn't a very competitive game' and conclude defense wins tight games - when it's the attack that's turned a close game into a win by a couple of tries.
@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
I assume LF would have been next on the plane before Rieko if not for injury...
Dear lord. After the meltdowns due to Proctor missing one tackle I can imagine LF at centre. His defence is easily the worst of the options.
Not a fan myself (of him starting at 13, and seems slow on the wing at international level) but coaches seem to like him.
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
@Jnr said in All Blacks 2026:
@nostrildamus said in All Blacks 2026:
I assume LF would have been next on the plane before Rieko if not for injury...
Dear lord. After the meltdowns due to Proctor missing one tackle I can imagine LF at centre. His defence is easily the worst of the options.
Not a fan myself (of him starting at 13, and seems slow on the wing at international level) but coaches seem to like him.
He definitely has an impact. I think people tend to overrate his positives vs negative impacts though.
Too slow for my mind for wing compared to the alternatives. Poor in defense and would get carved up at centre. And wouldn't get a look in as a pure loose forward.
I think we have enough cover, and impact, we don't need an average jack of all trades who isn't great at any one of them.
@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:
I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance
Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.
I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....
To me the biggest selection issue with Rieko is that awful bleached mullet. If it's gone, play him.
@crazy-horse said in All Blacks 2026:
To me the biggest selection issue with Rieko is that awful bleached mullet. If it's gone, play him.
Wow thats a bold call. Myself, I think it was a good thing that Ioane decided to support his team mate with terminal cancer 
@Duluth said in All Blacks 2026:
@crazy-horse said in All Blacks 2026:
To me the biggest selection issue with Rieko is that awful bleached mullet. If it's gone, play him.
Wow thats a bold call. Myself, I think it was a good thing that Ioane decided to support his team mate with terminal cancer
Oops, agree. I forgot about that!
@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:
@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:
I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance
Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.
I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....
Some great passing in their from Rieko.
@brodean said in All Blacks 2026:
@His-Bobness said in All Blacks 2026:
@voodoo said in All Blacks 2026:
I don't get the Rieko hate. I reckon he was one of the most underutilised players in the last few AB seasons. A direct recipient of slow ball into BB shovelling, putting JB into zero space meaning Rieko got trite double shovelled ball or maybe at best a pop pass in a tackle if Jordie freed his arms.. I don't recall him being given any ball in space then failing to put an outside away when he had the chance
Agree with this. Suspect Rieko was the victim of a combination of the tall poppy syndrome in New Zealand (not fake playing the 'aw shucks I'm just happy to be a caretaker of the black jersey' schtick) and the absence of any attacking strategy in the Razor regime with the contact-shy BB just either shovelling the ball on or kicking it aimlessly away. I certainly think he offers more at centre than a journeyman like ALB. And I don't agree he's 'past it'.
I think under the new attack strategy he might do well. Some highlights from his recent URC stint....
Some great passing in their from Rieko.
That deep lying backline looked more like Rennie's ABs than either Fozzie's or Razor's
