Sam Cane to captain most experienced All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad

The All Blacks coaches have named 18 forwards and 15 backs in their squad of 33 for the Rugby World Cup in France, starting next month.

Sam Cane will lead the side that features three hookers, six props, four locks, five loose forwards, three halfbacks, three flyhalves, four midfielders and five outside backs.

Lock Sam Whitelock will be going to his fourth tournament. Six players will be going to their third tournament, nine players will be going to their second Tournament, while 17 are going to their first.

With a combined 1,493 Test caps, this is the All Blacks’ most experienced Rugby World Cup squad in history. Whitelock is the most capped player with 145 Test caps, while scrumhalf Cam Roigard is the newest All Black with one Test cap. The side has an average age of 27.

‘Great privilege’

“It’s a great privilege to both select and be selected for an All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad,” said head coach Ian Foster.

“We congratulate those 33 players selected. This group has grown in belief and is highly motivated to represent our country with pride in France, as we seek to be the first nation to win the Rugby World Cup four times.

“This year’s Rugby World Cup promises to be the most competitive yet and the pool draw means we have to ready right from the outset. We have worked hard through the first part of our season and have made some strong progress through the Rugby Championship and the Bledisloe series. There is more growth to come and more is needed.

“This is a vastly experienced team but with over half the players going to their first RWC, it has a strong balance of youth and future planning.

“The challenge is to continue our growth through the game in London against South Africa, into our camp in Germany before arriving in Lyon with a clear focus on performance in each of our pool games.”

The All Blacks will kick off their Rugby World Cup campaign against host France in Paris (Friday 8 September), then play Namibia in Toulouse (Friday 15 September), Italy in Lyon (Friday 29 September), and their final Pool match against Uruguay in Lyon (Thursday 5 October).

All Blacks:

Forwards

Hookers: Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Codie Taylor

Props: Ethan de Groot, Tyrel Lomax, Nepo Laulala, Fletcher Newell, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tamaiti Williams

Locks: Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Tupou Vaa’i, Samuel Whitelock

Loose forwards: Sam Cane (capt), Shannon Frizell, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papali’i, Ardie Savea

Backs:

Scrumhalves: Finlay Christie, Sam Roigard, Aaron Smith

Flyhalves: Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo’unga

Midfielders: Jordie Barrett, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown

Outside backs: Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Will Jordan, Emoni Narawa, Mark Telea