The first All Blacks squad of the year always has its surprises, and when someone as experienced as Ofa Tu’ungafasi gets ruled out with injury, a new prop for the All Blacks is likely needed.
Last year Scott Robertson picked Pasilio Tosi, which was a surprise to most, and with at least a spot up for grabs for this squad in the front row, Robertson has his options.
Robertson could select George Bower, who has already played 22 Tests for the All Blacks and recently re-signed with the Crusaders until 2027.
The All Blacks coach also has Xavier Numia as an option, after an injury last year ruled him out of contention.
Ethan de Groot and Ollie Norris are also options at Robertson’s disposal, making the decision more complex than it may look.
One of the other loosehead prop options, Joshua Fusitu’a, has impressed for the Blues this season after an early season injury to Tuungafasi.
The 24-year-old ex-Auckland Grammar student has started the last nine games for the Blues in the 2025 season and was named Blues player of the year last week.
Former All Blacks scrum coach and current Blues assistant Greg Feek admits it’s important to get to know the player before you coach them, and Fusitu’a impressed him from the get-go.
“Well, when you come in, I always believe that you’ve got to know the player before you can coach them to get the best out of them and I loved a lot of the stuff that is getting to know him,” Feek told Sport Nation’s Bunnings Trade Rugby Run.
“He’s an academic at school, I saw some x-factor in the gym, I saw how hard he worked and how much of a sponge he was at the time, I thought, great, this is exciting.
“No matter what position you are in a team it’s important that you’ve got those attributes and then just seeing his progress, I love that too, the coach-ability, his understanding, not just knowing things, but being able to understand it.”
Feek has observed the growth of the Blues prop over the past couple of years and believes that the way props look and play nowadays aligns with Fusitu’a’s skillset.
“He’d ask questions, he didn’t care if he didn’t really understand something, he’d want to really press that and then seeing his physical development keep increasing, and you go, this guy’s actually got something about him,” Feek told Sport Nation.
“People talk about size and weight, but for me, doesn’t matter how big you are, it’s how fast you can move into things and carry the ball.
“So for him, he can still accelerate, he’s put on a bit of weight but he’s still got the same speed, so for me, he’s creating more force and impact, so that’s exciting.”
When asked about the conversations that Feek has had with the All Blacks coaching staff, he explains that they are all doing their research on the players in Super Rugby Pacific environments.
“Yeah, they come into all the franchises, their whole management is coming in. They’re doing their research on all of them and they’ve been into ours and I know they’ve been into the others.
“I’d love to be able to sell Fusitu’a because I work with him and all that, I’m trying to be quite neutral, because in the end I don’t make those decisions, the comms and things like that have been really good.”
