The wildest of the wildcards: Picking the bolters who could earn an All Blacks call-up

OpinionOpinion byBen FrancisJournalist·NZ Herald·17 Jun, 2026 05:01 PM6 mins to readBen Francis is an Auckland-based live news sport journalist for the New Zealand Herald. Ben has worked across various sports media roles across digital, radio and print since 2016.‌Ben Francis makes some bold predictions on who could emerge as surprise All Blacks selections in 2026.The time is upon us for Dave Rennie to name his first All Blacks squad.

On Monday in Feilding, Rennie will unveil his 34-man squad to feature in July’s Nations Cup matches against