All Blacks Snubs: The Stats Behind Rennie’s Picks

Dave Rennie’s 2026 All Blacks squad shocked a lot of fans, especially with Du'Plessis Kirifi, Noah Hotham and Rieko Ioane all missing out. In this video, I break down the real selection reasons using the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific player stats, looking at why Anton Segner was picked over Kirifi, why Kyle Preston got in ahead of Noah Hotham, why George Bower made it over Ollie Norris, and why Anton Lienert-Brown was selected while Timoci Tavatavanawai and Rieko Ioane missed out. I also look at Beauden Barrett’s selection, Damian McKenzie and Ruben Love’s form, and a bonus squad-wide stats chart showing which All Blacks players stand out for power, evasion, post-contact metres and defenders beaten. This is a stats-led look at Dave Rennie’s All Blacks selections, but with the usual caveats: different competitions, different roles, different game time, and some things selectors value that numbers do not fully capture. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Rennie's 2026 All Blacks Squad 00:27 Du'Plessis Kirifi Omission 05:11 Kyle Preston Over Noah Hotham 09:01 George Bower Over Ollie Norris 12:49 Anton Lienert-Brown, Timoci Tavatavanawai & Rieko Ioane 16:46 Why Beauden Barrett Was Picked 20:27 Bonus Stats Chart: Evasion vs Power Let me know in the comments: did the stats make the selections clearer, or are you still not convinced? #AllBlacks #Rugby #NewZealandRugby