New Zealand Rugby rules stipulate that Mo’unga, having not committed for two years, had to first return home from Japan to play NPC rugby for Canterbury before becoming eligible for the All Blacks.
Rennie selected four playmakers – Ruben Love, Damian McKenzie, Beauden Barrett and Josh Jacomb – in his original 44-man South African touring squad, all of whom remain fit.
There have been injury concerns over McKenzie’s left ankle after the fullback (who also plays first five-eighths) went down in the first minutes of yesterday’s 54-0 victory over the Sharks.
Rennie downplayed McKenzie’s knock after the match.
“He was running around, we had it strapped, but it was a little bit ginger. We decided to play it safe. He’s not too bad. We’d expect him to be fine for the first test.“
When asked at the time about the prospect of Mo’unga joining the side, Rennie said: “We’ll work through that process.”
Mo’unga has played 56 tests for the All Blacks, scoring 464 points. His last test was the 2023 Rugby World Cup final. The St Andrew’s College product got his first taste of All Blacks rugby when he played against the national side for the UK Barbarians in 2017.
