Hawke’s Bay’s Devan Flanders called into All Blacks XV

Hawke’s Bay Magpies and Hurricanes rugby star Devan Flanders has been called into the All Blacks back-up squad, the All Blacks XV, to prepare for games in Ireland and France, despite missing most of the NPC because of injury.

Touted as a potential All Black since his days in the Hastings Boys’ High School First XV, as a New Zealand Secondary Schools representative, and as a New Zealand Under-20 World Cup representative in 2018-2019, the 25-year-old No 8/flanker is one of four players added to the party ahead of the games against Munster on Sunday and Georgia on November 11.

Devan Flanders in action for the Hawke's Bay Magpies in Dunedin in 2022. Photo / Peter McIntosh.

While there are no Hawke’s Bay players in the full All Blacks squad, who beat Japan at the weekend and now face tests on successive weekends against England, Ireland, France and Italy, Flanders will in the All Blacks XV join Magpies and Hurricanes lock Isaia Walker-Leawere.

Flanders has played 65 matches for Hawke’s Bay and 53 in Super Rugby for the Hurricanes since his Magpies debut in 2018.

He injured a hand in training at the start of the NPC, delaying his return to the competition until the last-round match against Wellington.

The latest additions to the squad are all forwards, with Flanders joined by Hurricanes teammate and lock/flanker Caleb Delany, Crusaders flanker Corey Kellow, and Chiefs flanker and 2024 Northland NPC player Simon Parker.

It brings the number of players who have been named in the All Blacks and All Blacks XV tour squads to about 70.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 40 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.