All Blacks will look to give all players opportunity during July series against Tonga and Fiji

By: Christopher Reive

All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree has confirmed the side will look to rotate its squad over the coming weeks as they build toward the Rugby Championship later in the year.

With the All Blacks meeting Tonga this Saturday night in at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, and Fiji for two tests in Dunedin and Hamilton over the following fortnight, the opportunity is there for the team to give the lesser experienced players a chance at test level.

With a squad featuring 18 players who have played 10 tests or fewer, Plumtree said there was noticeable excitement in camp and the new players were pushing hard for their shot on the pitch.

"Everyone's got an opportunity," Plumtree said. "Next week's team might be a little bit different. We'll make sure that we give everyone a bit of time. How much time that will be, I don't know. We'll just see as we build closer to that Australia series (in August).

"Right now, we've just got to pick the team, see how it goes on the weekend and maybe adjust it slightly for next week."

The All Blacks will name their 23-man team for the season on Thursday and with the absence of veterans such as Sam Cane, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown and Joe Moody, there will be plenty of opportunities for other players to make an impact.

The All Blacks are looking to build off the back of a rollercoaster year in 2020, which saw them beaten by Argentina for the first time ever and drop a test against Australia, although the still retained the Bledisloe Cup and took out the Tri Nations.

Plumtree, who is the forwards coach with the All Blacks, said head coach Ian Foster had challenged the group to be better than they were a year ago as they embark on full test season in 2021.

"Fozzy's challenged us all to be better. It's not about a unit or about an individual; it's about everyone," Plumtree said.

"Everyone needs to step up. We want to get better all the time. That's what this jersey demands; it's the legacy of the All Blacks to keep growing and keep getting better. The leaders have done a great job of reminding everyone of that.

"There's a high standard and expectation amongst the pack and we just have to make sure we're organised and we're clinical, then the rest will happen naturally."