Ireland centre Robbie Henshaw accepts he may have to remain patient for opportunities at his third Rugby World Cup due to the “flying” form of positional rivals Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose.
The experienced 30-year-old has been a Test regular for a decade but his game time in France has so far been restricted to two cameos.
Leinster player Henshaw, who has 67 international caps, admits the peripheral role feels unfamiliar and is fighting to regain a starting spot.
He believes strength in depth is vital to his country’s aspirations in the tournament and praised the “outstanding” displays of Aki, who has already registered four tries, and Ringrose.
“He’s been brilliant, his body’s in great shape,” Henshaw said of the in-form Aki.
“He’s flying fit and he’s had a great pre-season, as has Garry. The lads are flying it, their performances have been consistent and rock solid and Bundee’s been flying in terms of getting tries on the board.
“He’s been letting us know that he’s near the top of the try scorers list, which we’ve been having a laugh about.
“They’ve been outstanding and for me it’s just whenever I get a chance to come in to make sure I put my best foot forward.”
View this post on InstagramHenshaw was a late withdrawal from Ireland’s bench for the opening win against Romania as a precaution.
He then bolstered his side as a replacement in the subsequent success over Tonga before twice coming on against South Africa, initially in the first half while Ringrose underwent a head injury assessment.
“You start the week with the mindset of being as competitive as you can and making sure when we know the team that they’re prepared the best they can be,” Henshaw said of team selection.
“That’s definitely a role of the guys who are not in that starting 15, making sure we prepare the lads.
“But then on the flip side, whenever you get your chance, it’s being ready.
“Coming off the bench definitely isn’t something I’ve been used to for a while but it’s about making sure you give it your all when you get on and you positively impact the game.”
Ireland have been relatively injury free during the current campaign.
Head coach Andy Farrell is in the unusual position of having his three leading midfield options available, in addition to Stuart McCloskey and versatile backs Keith Earls and Jimmy O’Brien.
Two-time British and Irish Lion Henshaw acknowledges that has not often been the case in recent times.
“It’s a good point, there’s always in the past – Six Nations, Novembers – been one of us in or out due to injury or whatever,” he said.
View this post on Instagram“Hopefully we can keep us all fit.
“But the quality we have, we’ve great strength in depth in those positions, even the likes of Earlsy being able to come in at 13 and Jimmy.
“The depth we have here is key for playing in a World Cup because anything can happen.”
Ireland lead Pool B thanks to their 100 per cent record but are still sweating on a quarter-final place ahead of next weekend’s crunch Paris showdown with rivals Scotland.
“Every time we play Scotland we know they’re going to come for us,” said Henshaw.
“Now we can see what it means to them and what they want to chase and what we want to chase in terms of getting those four wins.
“They’re going to come and have a go like they always do through (fly-half) Finn Russell and getting the ball to the width.
“They’ll have a plan and we’ll need to make sure we’re rock solid and we attack it.”
Scott Barrett named new All Blacks captain
Scott Barrett has been named as New Zealand's new captain for their upcoming Tests against England and Fiji by new coach Scott Robertson.
He takes over from Sam Cane, who is retiring from international rugby at the end of the year and was not considered for the role due to injury.
Since making his international debut for the All Blacks against Ireland in November 2016, Barrett has earned 69 caps for his country.
Barrett will have reigning Player of the Year Ardie Savea, and brother Jordie as his vice-captains.
Speaking after the announcement was made, Barrett said: "When you think of the leaders who have gone before you, it's quite humbling to be asked to captain the All Blacks, so it's not something I took lightly," said Barrett.
"It's a big responsibility, but I have two great leaders beside me in Ardie and Jordie."
Robertson has named five uncapped players in his first squad, with Wallace Sititi earning his first call-up after an impressive season for Waikato Chiefs.
Scrum-half Cortez Ratima, hooker George Bell, prop Pasilio Tosi and centre Billy Proctor are the other uncapped players named in the 32-man squad.
Robertson, who took over after Ian Foster left the role following last year's World Cup final defeat to South Africa, coached Barrett for seven years at the Crusaders and is looking forward to regaining that connection.
"There are some great leaders in our group, but having that existing connection to Scott was important," said Robertson.
"He's tactically astute, he leads from the front, and he’s got the respect of the players and coaches.
"As a coaching group, we are excited about the squad we've selected. We know it's a group that can play the style of rugby we want the All Blacks to play in 2024."
The All Blacks will face England in Dunedin on July 6, and the following week in Auckland, before playing Fiji in San Diego on July 20.
Full New Zealand squad: Asafo Aumua, Codie Taylor, George Bell, Ethan De Groot, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett (c), Tupou Vaa’i, Patrick Tuipulotu, Ethan Blackadder, Samipeni Finau, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papali'i, Ardie Savea, Wallace Sititi, Finlay Christie, TJ Perenara, Cortez Ratima, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Billy Proctor, Caleb Clarke, Emoni Narawa, Stephen Perofeta, Sevu Reece, Mark Tele'a.
Six uncapped players make England squad for Japan, New Zealand Tests
England coach Steve Borthwick has named six uncapped players in his squad for their summer internationals against Japan and New Zealand.
England face Japan in Tokyo on June 21 in their first outing since the Six Nations, then take on the All Blacks on July 6 and July 13.
Harlequins prop Fin Baxter and centre Luke Northmore, Sale pair Joe Carpenter and Tom Roebuck, Bristol's Gabriel Oghre and Northampton's Ollie Sleightholme are all included.
Having named a 36-man squad, England will train at Twickenham on Tuesday before flying out to Japan to prepare for their opening Test.
"The Summer Series presents a valuable opportunity for the continued development of this squad and is a demanding challenge to conclude the season," Borthwick said.
"The National Stadium in Tokyo is an incredible venue for Test match rugby, and we will need to be at our very best against a Japanese team who will want to play fast.
"New Zealand's home record is well documented, and we face a team who came within one point of winning a World Cup.
"The players know that they will need to be mentally strong and tactically smart if we are to get the result we want."
Full England squad: Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Alex Coles, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Curry, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Alex Dombrandt, Ben Earl, Charlie Ewels, Jamie George (c), Joe Heyes, Maro Itoje, Joe Marler, George Martin, Gabriel Oghre, Bevan Rodd, Ethan Roots, Will Stuart, Sam Underhill, Joe Carpenter, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, George Furbank, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Mitchell, Luke Northmore, Harry Randall, Tom Roebuck, Henry Slade, Ollie Sleightholme, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward.
All Blacks captain Cane to retire from international rugby
New Zealand captain Sam Cane has announced he will retire from international rugby at the end of 2024, having agreed a three-year contract with Japan Rugby League One team Tokyo Sungoliath.
Cane made his All Blacks debut in 2012 and has represented his country 95 times, including through the team's triumphant run at the 2015 World Cup.
The flanker succeeded Kieran Read as captain in 2020, though his most recent international outing ended with him suffering the ignominy of becoming the first man to be sent off in a Rugby World Cup final, as New Zealand were beaten by South Africa last year.
Cane will be eligible to represent the All Blacks through the second half of 2024 after returning from an initial spell in Japan but will then head there permanently after New Zealand Rugby agreed to release him from his contract.
"A good opportunity came my way with Sungoliath willing to offer me a three-year contract," Cane said. "I had to weigh up everything and, in the end, with a young family it seemed like the best decision to help set us up for our future.
"I had my time as captain and it was a huge honour and privilege. If I'm fortunate enough to be selected for the All Blacks this year then I'll still be myself.
"I love that team, and if part of my role is contributing leadership-wise, I'll be happy to support the new captain as best I can to help with a speedy transition."
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