With all the squads now named for the 2025 Rugby Championship, we predict the All Blacks 23 that Scott Robertson will pick to face Argentina.
New Zealand take on Los Pumas in Cordoba next Saturday and they will be looking for a fast start as the Kiwis seek to reclaim the title they lost to the Springboks last year.
While the Argentines are considered the All Blacks’ easiest opponents in the Rugby Championship, which therefore gives rise to potential rotation, they should go in with close to their strongest 23, especially in Test one.
15 Will Jordan
An easy call here. Even with their issues at wing, Robertson seems set on having Jordan at full-back and rightly so. Damian McKenzie or Ruben Love could conceivably start but the 27-year-old is best utilised at 15 where he can pick his lines and show his classy touches on counter-attack.
14 Sevu Reece
Emoni Narawa feels the most unlucky player in the All Blacks squad but the boss trusts Reece’s implicitly. He may have lost a yard of pace but the Crusaders star is still powerful in contact and does the nuts and bolts really well, especially his chasing and aerial game.
13 Billy Proctor
Should be given another chance, despite an underwhelming series against France. Played a bit tighter to the ruck than we expected in the July series with the centre carrying mostly into traffic. Hopefully they will get him wider where Proctor can utilise his off-loading game and playmaking skills.
12 Jordie Barrett
Another absolute certainty for the XV having been one of the All Blacks’ better backs last month, including playing a starring role in the third Test. Barrett and Proctor have played together plenty of times for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby and they deserve a chance to get it right at Test level.
11 Rieko Ioane
In truth, we think Ioane needs some time out of the team, whether that is to mentally refresh after the criticism that he has received or just simply to re-find his form by potentially playing in the NPC – something he hasn’t done since 2020 – but Robertson won’t do that. The head coach wants him in the team and, after being named as an outside back in the Rugby Championship squad, it will be on the wing.
10 Beauden Barrett
There were concerns over a hand fracture he sustained before the third France Test, but the fly-half appears to have recovered in time for the start of the Rugby Championship. Out of him and McKenzie, Barrett was by far the best of the two during the French series and he should get the nod against Argentina.
9 Cortez Ratima
The last man standing at scrum-half from the original squad due to the injuries to Cam Roigard and Noah Hotham, so it would be quite the shock should Robertson go with either Finlay Christie or Kyle Preston to start. It is a big tournament for Ratima, however, who has struggled to find his feet at Test level and was once again subpar during the France series. He very much needs to get his kicking game sorted out.
8 Wallace Sititi
Hasn’t played too much rugby in 2025 but Sititi has plenty of credit in the bank after being the breakout star in 2024. The Chiefs man also needs some game time prior to the big double header against the Springboks, where he will be absolutely vital to their chances. The 22-year-old needs to prove his match fitness and fast.
7 Ardie Savea
Robertson has made the decision that he is now the All Blacks’ openside looking ahead to the Rugby World Cup and that is where he will stay for the Rugby Championship. Injury forced him to shift for the third France Test, but they now have plenty of options at number eight which means he can now focus on seven.
6 Tupou Vaa’i
A tougher call as Simon Parker appears highly rated by the New Zealand management but we think they will choose on form having seen Vaa’i shift from lock to blindside so effortlessly last month. His long-term slot may well be in the second-row but the 25-year-old should remain in the team at six.
5 Fabian Holland
The decision to keep Vaa’i in the back-row is, to an extent, determined by Holland’s incredible arrival on the Test scene. Still just 22, the Dutch-born forward looks readymade for international rugby and made quite the impression in the 3-0 victory over Les Bleus. It is important the youngster continues his momentum from last month and build on those performances in the Rugby Championship, which will be a step up.
4 Scott Barrett (c)
Missed the second and third Tests in July through injury but by all accounts he will be fit enough to take his place in the XV next weekend. Barrett is the captain and is another player Robertson has full faith in, so he will certainly be in the team.
3 Fletcher Newell
Tyrel Lomax has picked up another injury which means that Newell, the obvious replacement, will once again stand in for the Hurricanes star. The Crusaders tighthead enjoyed a fine July series, dominating in the set-piece, and he will look to take that over to South America.
2 Codie Taylor
Still going strong at the age of 34 as he remains the best hooker in New Zealand. Asafo Aumua, who is currently injured, and Samisoni Taukei’aho may be more mobile and effective in the loose nowadays, but they don’t do their core roles as well as Taylor. He is the ideal starting hooker and a leader within that All Blacks pack.
1 Ethan de Groot
Tamaiti Williams is not meant to be too far away from returning but the fact that they have brought in George Bower as injury cover suggests that he may well miss the first Test. As a result, that automatically propels De Groot into the loosehead slot, where he improved from a disappointing second half of 2024 against France.
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Quinn Tupaea
The bench is harder to call as Robertson may want to give some fringe players a chance in what is deemed an easier game. The likes of Kyle Preston, who is there as injury cover, and Parker could come into contention while Robertson may even want to give Tevita Mafileo a chance over Pasilio Tosi, but if Robertson goes with his strongest 23, this is how we think it will be.
From 16 to 19, it rather picks itself and the half-back cover – Christie and McKenzie – are pretty much guaranteed to be there. The other two slots are a bit more difficult, but in the back-row we feel Peter Lakai, like Sititi, needs game time before the Springboks Tests and will get a chance.
As for the 23 shirt, that is completely open. Narawa, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Anton Lienert-Brown and Quinn Tupaea could all be the final member of the squad, but it probably counts against the first two that they played in the NPC. It is therefore likely to be between Lienert-Brown and Tupaea but we think he will go for the younger option, even though it is ultimately a 50/50 decision.