ALL BLACKS: Rennie Explains Omitting Beauden Barrett and Handing Reins to Ruben Love Against France

Head coach Dave Rennie has laid down a ruthless marker for his All Blacks tenure, naming a radically transformed matchday 23 to face a heavyweight French side in Christchurch. Fronting the media for his first official team announcement, Rennie addressed the massive talking points dominating New Zealand rugby—headlined by the total omission of veteran playmaker Beauden Barrett from the squad. Rennie explained his decision to back absolute Super Rugby form, handing the starting first-five reins to Ruben Love alongside halfback Cam Roigard, while moving Damian McKenzie to fullback. The boss also defended his heavily debated forward pack selections, including a completely new locking duo in Josh Lord and Sam Darry, and a reshuffled back-row combination built to withstand France's brutal set-piece and tactical kicking game. With only nine days of preparation under their belt, Rennie outlines exactly how this blend of youth and experience plans to bring "optimism and brutality" to the pitch. Like, comment, and subscribe to stay updated with exclusive All Blacks press conferences, tactical analysis, and behind-the-scenes content all season! Thank you for taking the time to watch. I really appreciate it. Please consider subscribing while you are here. Join my Whatsapp updates channel https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaf5... Follow me on other social media channels for more rugby Twitter/X: @brendennel Insta: @rugbybrendennel Tiktok: @brendennel