Scott Robertson names 36-man squad for end-of-year tour

By Alex Powell

The All Blacks have made just one change to their 36-man group to head north for this year’s end-of-year tour.

Having spent six months on the sidelines after an injury in Super Rugby Pacific for the Hurricanes, halfback Cam Roigard is the only new face, and is in line for his first test appearance of the year, and under new coach Scott Robertson.

However, Roigard’s inclusion comes at the expense of one-cap halfback Noah Hotham, who drops out of the All Blacks to be selected for the touring All Blacks XV squad, to be coached by Clayton McMillan.

“It was fantastic to see Cam in great form for Counties in the weekend and we are excited to have him back in the mix,” said Robertson. “

Fellow halfbacks Cortez Ratima and TJ Perenara showed during the Rugby Championship that they deserve their spots in the squad, and this means Noah Hotham will be included in the All Blacks XV squad to be announced tomorrow, where he will be able to gain some valuable playing time.

“This Northern Tour is an exciting challenge, which will allow us to continue evolving our game and building a style of rugby that creates opportunities against some fierce competition.  We have selected a squad that will bring consistency and continuity, while also achieving the right balance of giving newer talent the chance to develop within a team that has valuable experience against these northern hemisphere sides.”

Hotham’s exit means TJ Perenara has been retained for his final tests with the All Blacks. The 32-year-old will leave New Zealand Rugby at the end of 2024 to take up a contract in Japan.

Former captain Sam Cane is in the same boat, and has also been retained despite the challenge of young Wellington loose forward, Peter Lakai.

The All Blacks begin their northern tour against Japan on October 26, before heading to Europe to face England, Ireland, France and Italy in consecutive weeks.

Meanwhile, the All Blacks XV have matches against Irish club side Munster, and the Georgian national team in Montpellier.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission