The All Blacks are struggling to find potent wings, a position they once dominated.
Scott Robertson may need to consider personnel changes if current players continue to underperform.
Rieko Ioane and Caleb Clarke face pressure to prove their long-term value, with emerging talent waiting.
There was a time – and it was a long period, too – in which it felt like whoever was coaching the All Blacks could put a long list of names in a hat, pull one out, and select them on the wing without any fear it wouldbe a bad call.
The rest of the world was always wildly envious that the All Blacks had such a ridiculous depth of talent that they could select Jonah Lomu and Jeff Wilson one week, Tana Umaga and Christian Cullen the next.
In the mid-2000s, the All Blacks were juggling Doug Howlett, Joe Rokocoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Rico Gear. Then it was Ben Smith, Cory Jane, Julian Savea, Waisake Naholo, Israel Dagg and Nehe Milner-Skudder who all competed for spots at the 2015 World Cup.
If a fake news story went out on social media that a secret factory had been found in New Zealand where world-class wings were being made, half the rugby world would have been inclined to believe it.
But those good old days feel a long time ago, and the All Blacks of 2025 look to be building an impressive talent pool in most positions – bar the one they are famed for never having to try overly hard to fill.
It doesn’t feel like head coach Scott Robertson has to rip the whole thing up and start again, but he does have to be open to thinking about making some personnel changes after the Rugby Championship if the current cohort continue to underwhelm.
Both wings have to be competent under the high ball – a non-negotiable in the box-kick-heavy world of international rugby – and both wings have to be adept chasers, able to compete in the air and win back possession.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson wants potent wingers for his side's fast game plan. Photo / Photosport
Playing wing effectively for the All Blacks these days is a combination of glamour and grunt work and throughout the July series, no one wing delivered on both fronts.
Rieko Ioane’s instincts were rusty in the first test, where his kick-chase was poor and his timing off. He looked sharper and more alive to opportunity in the second test, but now that he has been officially listed as an outside back rather than as a midfielder, he needs to show definitively throughout the Rugby Championship that he can be the same potent force on the wing that he was between 2016 and 2018.
His Blues teammate Caleb Clarke is going to have to hope he can recover in time to deliver a much-needed reminder that he can be the everything man the All Blacks are looking for.
He brings a proven ability to compete for high kicks, but his body of work over the past 18 months has been inconsistent and, with Leicester Fainga’anuku set to become eligible for the end-of-year tour, there’s maybe a hidden reality that only one of Ioane and Clarke are long-term propositions.
Robertson will likely want a mix of body types and skillsets in his mix, and Fainga’anuku, Ioane and Clarke could all be put under the umbrella of power wings – and being broadly similar as they are, retaining all three for the 2027 World Cup may not be possible.
The pressure is building on Ioane and Clarke to freshen and strengthen their case for continued inclusion, which is the same for Sevu Reece, who must surely be the most vulnerable of the current contingent.
Sevu Reece (left) and Rieko Ioane are both hoping for spots as wingers with the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport
Robertson, fairly, decided not to invest in Mark Tele’a this year after the Blues wing announced he will be moving to Japan in 2026, but by the same token, Reece doesn’t inspire as being any more likely to still be in selection contention by the next World Cup.
Reece, it could be argued, is holding his place partly because Robertson and his selection panel have not yet been convinced that any of the younger, emerging wings such as Emoni Narawa, Leroy Carter, Chay Fihaki or Caleb Tangitau are quite ready yet.
But there is also this lingering possibility that Robertson sees Reece as a Cheslin Kolbe figure – a small but powerful, fast-footed runner with the ability to pull off the impossible in confined spaces.
If he does see Reece in a similar light to the magical South African, he’s probably the only one. Reece doesn’t induce the same sense of possibilities – his top-end speed isn’t there, his instincts are not as sharp and his skillset is not as diverse. It says something problematic about the All Blacks that they continue to try to manufacture an inferior product to the Springboks in a position they used to lead the world.
There seems to be more upside and less risk in the All Blacks experimenting with Narawa and Carter during the Rugby Championship than there does persevering with Reece. But whatever choices get made, the All Blacks need to rekindle that sense of fear they used to induce every time they started moving the ball towards the wing.
