Injuries, and to a lesser extent form, have made it difficult for head coach Dave Rennie and his selectors to maintain continuity in the All Blacks‘ loose forward stocks, and in their final squad of 2026, they have again turned to two new faces.

Both Leicester Fainga’anuku and Christian Lio-Willie received the good-news call from Rennie for the first time this year over the weekend, and will board the flight to Europe chasing an inaugural Nations Championship title.

The inclusions come after injuries to Ardie Savea, Luke Jacobson, Ethan Blackadder and Shannon Frizell, while Simon Parker has been listed as unavailable for personal reasons. While Fainga’anuku has also been unavailable due to injury so far this Test season, Lio-Willie has been grafting with Otago in the NPC, working on the areas of his game that his national coaches have asked him to improve.

Speaking on the Crusaders No.8’s selection after successive omissions, Rennie said Lio-Willie has been in the picture all year, and has now earned his opportunity.

“Look, he had a really good Super season,” the coach explained. “We had him in a non-finalist camp, and there were serious discussions about taking him to Africa. We decided that we had others who we thought might provide a bit more of a point of difference.

“But again, he’s had an excellent NPC. Look, he’s he’s he’s really tough. He’s got a big engine, got a really high skill set, and sort of suits the type of game that we’re trying to play. So yeah, really excited for him. He’s performed well after the disappointment of missing out.”

Beating Lio-Willie to the post for selection on the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour was Hurricanes-bound Semisi Tae’iloa, who has announced himself to the rugby world in a hurry with two blockbusting debut seasons for Moana Pasifika.

Lio-Willie, meanwhile, ended his 2026 campaign with the Crusaders with the fourth-most tackles and second-most carries, and carried that form into the NPC, as Rennie highlighted when asked about the selection race between the two No.8s.

“We just think that Christian’s probably had a stronger NPC since we’ve come back. I’ve spoken to all the players who missed out, and they’re never great conversations for them to hear, but again, we’ve given clear messages around the little things that we want them doing. It’s a bit tough now; there’s no footy to be played, but they need to keep in good nick because you get an injury and then they’re on the plane.”