Mo’unga hoists Canty milestone three years on
All Blacks and Crusaders first five-eighth Richie Mo’unga will notch his 50th match for Canterbury when he gets off the pine against North Harbour tonight.
Mo’unga is one of six All Blacks named in the red-and-blacks’ 23 for their season opener in Auckland, although he is the only one not starting.
Instead, coaches Reuben Thorne and Mark Brown have opted to start the playmaker on the bench almost three years since his 49th match, when he scored 25 of Canterbury’s 35 points in their 35-13 triumph against Tasman in the 2017 final.
As Brown said, talk about a luxury.
‘‘I suppose the position we took was we wanted to reward some of the key guys who performed well in pre-season, the Shield game [against North Otago] and Tasman.
‘‘Particularly those in influential positions like halfback and 10. We’ve got some quality guys on the bench coming back.’’
So, in a reversal from Super Rugby Aotearoa after David Havili broke his thumb, Mo’unga will provide backup for Brett Cameron.
All Blacks Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Sam Whitelock, Cullen Grace and George Bridge all feature in a run-on side which only includes two non-Super Rugby players – prop Fletcher Newell and midfielder Rameka Poihipi. Rangiora product Newell was just 10-years-old when Crusaders and All Blacks centurion Whitelock last pulled on the redand- black strip in 2010.
‘‘We just said in the team huddle there at the end, [Mitchell Drummond] said to Sammy, ‘when was the last time you played for Canterbury?’ He said 2010.
‘‘Then he went to Fletcher [Newell], the young prop starting this year, and he was 10 years old at that time,’’ new captain Reed Prinsep said.
‘‘Looking at that, it’s pretty exciting.’’ In addition to Mo’unga, Canterbury’s bench includes regular Crusaders starters Mitch Dunshea and Whetukamokamo Douglas. Halfback Mitchell Drummond will backup Ere Enari.
Highlanders utility Ngane Punivai was unavailable with a ‘‘niggle’’, but brother Isaiah has been named on the bench for the 14-times champions.
Crusaders prop Oli Jager and flankers Tom Christie and Tom Sanders have been given an extra week off after playing in the North v South match last week.
Brown confirmed there were no restrictions on minutes for the All Blacks, who are set to be available for at least the first two weeks of the competition.
That means next weekend’s Ranfurly Shield defence against Taranaki shapes as another Mo’unga v Beauden Barrett clash.