The Super Rugby Pacific season has just come to an end and while the final didn’t go in favour of the Gallagher Chiefs, there is still reason to be upbeat: 12 of the 35-strong All Blacks squad against France hail from the region.
This makes the Chiefs the most representedSuper Rugby Pacific club in the All Blacks squad, followed by the Crusaders with eight players, the Hurricanes with seven, the Blues with four, the Highlanders with three and Moana Pasifika with one player.
Among the five new faces donning the black jersey for the first time are prop Ollie Norris, 25, and hooker Brodie McAlister, 28.
Norris, born in Sydney but of Ngāpuhi descent, moved to New Zealand and attended St Peter’s School in Cambridge.
He made his professional debut for Waikato in the Mitre 10 Cup and was signed by the Chiefs for the 2020 Super Rugby season. In 2021, Norris was named in the Māori All Blacks squad.
“I was pretty overwhelmed for a bit and I could feel my phone going crazy.
“I was shocked that I was there, but not because I don’t think I didn’t earn it, but ... that’s what I dreamed of for about 20 years. It’s finally happened.”
Norris said he wasn’t an All Black yet, because he was “just” named in the squad – going out on the field wearing the black jersey would make it real.
Ollie Norris at Chiefs headquarters in Hamilton talking about his All Blacks selection.
He already had a few goals.
“I’ve always been the rookie front-rower you have some people saying things around being picked, [so] I think just feeling like I belong and mastering my craft [are my goals].
“I just wanna be there for a long time ... I don’t want to be a one-season All Black, I want to make my mark.”
Meanwhile, McAlister went to Shirley Boys’ High School in Christchurch, where he earned selection for the New Zealand Schools squad in 2015.
A devastating knee injury during the Bledisloe Cup test in 2022 meant he was unable to play in the following Super Rugby Pacific and All Blacks season.
Quinn Tupaea at Chiefs HQ in Hamilton. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Speaking after the announcement, Tupaea said he had been waiting to become an All Black again ever since he was injured.
“It was my goal to get back in there ... it’s a place I’ve worked hard to get back to.
“It was a pretty special moment ... I was unsure if I’d make it or not and to hear my name get called towards the end there was a relief.”
Like Norris, Tupaea found out by watching the announcement on TV.
“I was just sitting on the couch at home with my partner ... [there were] a few tears and ... excitement.”
Tupaea said it had been an emotional rollercoaster.
“Losing the final was very tough for this crew and myself and then the highs of the All Black[s] team naming on Monday ... It’s been a crazy couple of days.”
He said he was now hoping to play a match on his home turf.
“To play in the Hamilton test would be awesome [and] play in front of friends and family.”
Coach Scott Robertson at the All Blacks team naming for 2025, held at the Coastal Rugby Club in Taranaki. Photo / Dean Purcell
The other Chiefs players who are part of the All Blacks squad are forwards Luke Jacobson, Wallace Sititi, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tupou Vaa’i and Samipeni Finau, as well as backs Cortez Ratima, Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown, while Emoni Narawa also comes in as injury cover for Lienert-Brown.
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson said he and his fellow selectors had to balance continuity and opportunity in naming the squad.
He said the five uncapped players had “impressed” the selectors and they had “earned” their opportunity to be part of the squad.
Robertson said he was also thrilled to have Taukei’aho and Tupaea return.
“These players have both had to work hard following the disappointment of long-term injuries, and have been outstanding during Super Rugby Pacific this year.”
The All Blacks will take on France in the 2025 Steinlager Ultra Low Carb Series in July.
They open their series on July 5 in Dunedin, with further tests in Wellington on July 12 and Hamilton on July 19.
