WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Scrumhalf Cam Roigard has overcome a major injury to win a place in the 36-strong All Blacks squad named on Monday to play Autumn test matches against Japan, England, Ireland, France and Italy.
Roigard played for Counties Manukau in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship on Saturday in his first appearance since March when he suffered a knee injury while playing for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby. He took the field as a replacement and scored two tries.
Head Scott Robertson has hurried Roigard back into his squad for the demanding tour on which the All Blacks will play three of the world’s top-five teams in consecutive weekends next month.
New Zealand will play Japan in Yokohama on Oct. 26, then fifth-ranked England at Twickenham on Nov. 3, top-ranked Ireland in Dublin on Nov. 9 and fourth-ranked France in Paris on Nov. 17. The tour finishes with a match against Italy in Turin on Nov. 24.
Roigard is the only addition to the squad Robertson used throughout the recently-completed Rugby Championship. He takes the place of the young Crusaders scrumhalf Noah Hotham who will be named Tuesday in an All Blacks XV which also will play in the Northern Hemisphere next month.
The All Blacks XV, coached by Clayton McMillan, will play Munster at Limerick on Nov. 2 and Georgia at Montpellier on Nov. 10.
“It was fantastic to see Cam (Roigard) in great form for Counties on the weekend and we are excited to have him back in the mix,” Robertson said.
“Fellow (scrumhalves) Cortez Ratima and T.J. Perenara showed during the Rugby Championship that they deserve their spots in the squad and this means Noah Hotham will be included in the All Blacks XV squad to be announced tomorrow, where he will be able to gain some valuable playing time.”
Robertson has included Perenara and backrower Sam Cane in the squad, though both will end their All Blacks careers at the end of the season when they join clubs overseas.
The presence of the All Blacks XV in Europe gives Robertson a much deeper group of players to call on if injuries occur.
Robertson said a small group of players from the All Blacks XV would join the All Blacks in Japan to assist their preparation for that match and gain experience of the All Blacks environment. That would free up a group of All Blacks to travel ahead to England to begin preparing for that match.
“This Northern Tour is an exciting challenge, which will allow us to continue evolving our game and building a style of rugby that creates opportunities against some fierce competition,” Robertson said.
“We have selected a squad that will bring consistency and continuity while also achieving the right balance of giving newer talent the chance to develop within a team that has valuable experience against these northern hemisphere sides.”
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New Zealand squad: Forwards: Asafo Aumua, Codie Taylor, George Bell, Ethan De Groot, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett (captain), Tupou Vaa’i, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Darry, Ethan Blackadder, Sam Cane, Samipeni Finau, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papali’i, Ardie Savea, Wallace Sititi. Backs: TJ Perenara, Cortez Ratima, Cam Roigard, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Billy Proctor, Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan, Ruben Love, Stephen Perofeta, Sevu Reece, Mark Tele’a
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby