Throughout the Rugby Championship season, Scott Robertson’s side have been forced to pivot as injuries impacted the team. However, ahead of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash with the Wallabies at Eden Park, Robertson was able to confirm four players had been cleared toreturn.
Halfbacks Cam Roigard (foot) and Cortez Ratima (rib) will be available for the test against the tournament leaders, while hooker Codie Taylor (concussion) and lock Patrick Tuipulotu (face) have also been given the go-ahead if required for the match-day squad.
The return of Roigard and Ratima in particular will be welcome additions to the selection picture. So far in 2025, the All Blacks have had five halfbacks in their squad, with Roigard, Ratima, Noah Hotham, Finlay Christie and Kyle Preston all having featured for the side.
Roigard, the first-choice No 9, hasn’t played since the second test against France in July, while Ratima was injured in the second test against Argentina in August.
“It’s good to get a couple of halfbacks come our way,” Robertson said.
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson spoke to the media ahead of their weekend test at Eden Park. Photo / Cameron Pitney.
Roigard returns to the squad after a successful outing for Counties Manukau in the NPC over the weekend, entering the game from the bench and scoring a try in the Steelers’ 49-28 win over Auckland.
“Cam’s really important to us,” Robertson said of Roigard.
“I think he just showed you, when he came straight on the field, the impact that he can have ... It’s good to get him back in the mix; [his] game management’s strong, he can kick and he’s got a hell of a pass, so he’s right up there.”
The positive news comes at the right time for the All Blacks, who return to action after a record loss against the Springboks in Wellington a fortnight ago.
On Saturday night, they will meet a Wallabies outfit who have consistently shown their resilience throughout the Rugby Championship, with both of their wins – one against each of South Africa and Argentina – being comebacks.
Robertson said his side had been as honest as possible in reviewing their performance in Wellington, where they held a 10-7 halftime lead before ultimately being thrashed 43-10, but that result was providing the group with fuel for the week ahead.
“Personally, always reflect first on yourself – what could I do? – and the coaching group, the management group, and then the players’ group. My job is to lead this team, so I’ll probably think more about them than myself,” Robertson said.
“There are a lot of shareholders in our country that we serve [who] definitely let us know what they think – and so they should. We’ve talked about that; our job’s to serve our people and it’s always been our focus, so now we can do it again also.
“We know how important the Bledisloe Cup is to both teams. A lot of All Blacks have given us an opportunity through all their performances, and now it’s our opportunity to show how much it means to us.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
