All Blacks centre makes major position switch

He is set to start at openside flanker, a decision that could also influence Dave Rennie’s plans when the All Blacks begin their Test campaign in July.

Comfortable on the wing as well, Fainga’anuku was selected for the All Blacks squad at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

He made his tournament debut off the bench on 8 September in the opening-round defeat to France, before scoring his first international try against Namibia on 15 September. He then added a hat-trick in the final pool match versus Uruguay on 5 October.

Now 26, Fainga’anuku has occasionally been used in forward roles this season and during his time with Toulon, though those appearances followed starts in the backline. This weekend marks the first time he will officially start in the forward pack, joining Dom Gardiner and Christian Lio-Willie in the loose trio.

As demonstrated by players like André Esterhuizen and the Springboks, the rise of hybrid athletes is becoming a defining trend in modern rugby, particularly with bench configurations increasingly favouring additional forwards.

Whether Fainga’anuku can mirror that level of versatility remains to be seen, but he will certainly be a player to watch this weekend.