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Barnes reveals who’s leading the race for All Blacks No. 10 jersey
Sport Nation • September 29th, 2026 5:42 pm
All Blacks assistant coach Neil Barnes | Photo: Chris Symes/Photosport
The All Blacks are weighing up a range of options at first five-eighth after Ruben Love was ruled out with an ankle injury ahead of the Bledisloe Cup series in October.
Richie Mo’unga is currently leading the race, according to assistant coach Neil Barnes, but Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Josh Jacomb are also in contention.
“At the moment, obviously, Richie would have the front running for it,” he told Sport Nation’s Millsy & Guy.
Mo’unga finished the recent tour of South Africa in the No. 10 jersey after Love played as first five-eighth for the first three Tests against the Springboks.
Richie Mo'unga on his return to the All Blacks | Sport Nation
“We actually thought Ruben was the best person for the job because Richie had just come back in, was getting his feet under the table.
“Then Ruben's form was going backwards, probably aligned to his ankle and he'd had a big load and we actually at that stage, Richie got his head around everything we're doing and we're all aligned and it was time to give him that opportunity to see what he can do.”
Love’s ankle had been troubling him for some time, Barnes said, but the severity became clear after he aggravated it during the tour.
Ruben Love | Photo: Photosport
“It's been something that obviously has been going on for a while with him and to be fair he's been pushing through it, so fair cop to him.
“He became aware it was getting worse over in Africa after the third Test and they've scanned it since and it requires an operation so we weren't aware of the diagnosis because the scan only just happened literally in a couple of days ago, so it’s only just came to our attention how serious it was.”
Barnes said the All Blacks were fortunate to have experienced playmakers available, pointing to Barrett’s 145 Test caps and McKenzie’s ability to also cover first five.
“We're just so, so lucky to have a person with that experience to fall back on.
“You've still got a person of 145 Test caps sitting there that can step up, that’s Beauden Barrett, and Damian McKenzie, who's more than useful at 10 as well.
“So Josh Jacob coming in underneath, we're blessed with what we've got there.”
What Josh Jacomb's All Blacks addition means for Beauden Barrett | Sport Nation
Barnes acknowledged that selection would depend on form and training, while backing the decision to keep Barrett in the mix despite questions about his recent performances.
“On the day, you're just making assumptions from the form from the games before and how people are training as to who that person is that’s going to get the nod on the day.
“If you were saying straight up, we had a World Cup in three years' time or something, you might say, ‘well, let's invest in the next cab off the rank', but the World Cup is next year, and right at the moment, the other guys (first fives) haven't passed him.
“He's earned his stripes from what he does on the paddock.”
Listen to the full interview below:
