Richie Mo'unga returns to the All Blacks for the South Africa tour

Ahead of the matches against South Africa on the Greatest Rivalry tour, Richie Mo'unga, one of the great figures of New Zealand rugby, was called up to the All Blacks in place of Billy Proctor, who suffered a fracture and will have to return to his country.

Mo'unga was eligible for selection after playing one match in the NPC following his stint with Toshiba Brave Lupus, a League One team in Japan. Under New Zealand Rugby's eligibility rules, the fly-half was ineligible to play for the All Blacks until he had played a match with Canterbury.

New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie spoke about Proctor's injury and Mo'unga's return: " We really feel for Billy. He's had a great season, so this is frustrating for him. It's the harsh reality of our sport. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him fully fit in time for the end-of-year tour selections. Richie is the obvious choice to replace him. His task now is to integrate and learn our systems, familiarize himself with the details, and earn the right to play ," he said.

The fullback, who will arrive in Johannesburg this Friday, has not played a match with the All Blacks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in France, precisely against the Springboks.