10 hours ago
5
New Zealand may be tempted to give Richie Mo'unga an immediate Test return as they chase a 2-0 lead in the four-match series that has been marketed as 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.
The 32-year-old was first-choice stand-off during their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, but he has been ineligible for selection while playing his club rugby in Japan since.
However, his signing for Canterbury and the Crusaders, along with an injury to Billy Proctor, has paved the way for his comeback.
Mo'unga will start at 10 in Tuesday's match against Johannesburg-based provincial side the Lions.
Mo'unga, who says his determination to return to Tests was fuelled by watching a Six Nations match while in a Japanese karaoke bar last year, is confident he can produce the form that earned him a spot in World Rugby's team of 2023.
"I'm competitive; I want to be the best," he said. "I know that there's a process to that, and at this point in time, the process looks a bit different around preparing someone else [All Blacks' current first-choice fly-half Ruben Love] to be the best.
"I'm really competitive, but I'm also a team man. Whoever gets the role, gets the role, and if it's not me, I'll do anything I can to help them succeed.
"This game was always coming for me. There was always going to be a return. I wasn't sure when it was, but mentally I've prepared for my return in the black jersey, and I'm ready."
New Zealand side to face Lions: B Barrett; Fineanganofo, Ioane, Tavatavanawai, Narawa; Mo'unga, Hotham; Lauaki, Taukei'aho, Tosi, Darry, Tuipulotu, Sititi, Blackadder, Ta'eiloa.
Replacements: Slater, Tu'ungafasi, Ma'u, Hannah, Lakai, Preston, Jacomb, Lienert-Brown.
