Dave Rennie has picked Ardie Savea to captain his first All Blacks squad selected for Nations Championship Tests against France, Italy and Ireland next month.
The Japan-based Savea takes over from lock Scott Barrett, who is unavailable because of a back injury but likely would have relinquished the captaincy under the new, future-focused coaching regime.
Barrett led the All Blacks in 11 Tests after becoming captain in 2024 under former coach Scott Robertson, who was axed in January and later replaced by former Wallabies mentor Rennie.
"Congratulations to our new All Blacks captain, Ardie Savea, who we know will do an outstanding job of leading this team on and off-field," said Rennie. "Ardie is highly respected by his teammates and cares deeply about the black jersey."
