New Zealand coach Dave Rennie has revealed what Richie Mounga must do to be a key part of the All Blacks. Richie joined the All Blacks’ South Africa tour as a replacement for the injured Billy Proctor. His involvement brought a lot of excitement among fans, but Dave Rennie reminded him of why he had missed the flight in the first place.
Speaking about the 32-year-old’s comeback, Rennie also highlighted how frustrating it is for Billy.
ALL BLACKS COACH DAVE RENNIE ON WHAT RICHIE MOUNG MUST DO TO PLAY
“Richie is the obvious choice as a replacement.” Rennie started expressing how easy it was for him to call Richie as a replacement.
“His job now is to get in and learn our systems, get his head around the detail and earn the right to play,” he continued speaking of what is now needed for him to be playing for the All Blacks.
“We really feel for Billy. He has had a great season, so this is frustrating for him. It is the harsh reality of our game. We wish him all the best with his recovery and hope to see him fit and well in time for the end-of-year tour selection,” Coach Rennie said, wishing Billy well.
FANS GIVE RICHIE A WARM WELCOME BACK
After the All Blacks and Dave Rennie announced Richie Mounga’s comeback, fans showed him a lot of love. Some even believed he should have been with the team in the first place. However, some believed that he should not have been called at all.
@Zama “I just feel sorry for those who were loyal to NZR and stayed in New Zealand.”
@kaiza.lo “Some of the comments in the post before were nasty, Richie Mo is still the man, so back him. It will only bring healthy competition in the team 🔥”
@Mesake Ledua “But there is already a better connection between Cam Roigard, Ruben Love, and Jordie Barrett since they’ve been playing together for the Hurricanes”
More and more fans gave their opinions on Richie Mounga’s comeback, but only time will tell if this is a good move or not.
WHY RICHIE MOUNGA DID NOT PLAY FOR THE ALL BLACKS SINCE 2023
Richie Mounga was the starting fly-half for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, as one of the All Blacks’ best players. However, he decided to move to Japan to play club rugby, a decision that hindered his All Blacks career.
Since then, he has not been selected until his return to New Zealand last season, when he played for the Crusaders. However, Rennie still could not pick him before he played for Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship. Now that he has met all the requirements, Richie Mounga is back with the All Blacks and looks forward to the test matches against the Springboks.