All Blacks flyhalf Richie Mo'unga will not be part of their squad for the Greatest Rivalry Tour.
The All Blacks are well advanced in their planning for the looming tour of South Africa, but head coach Dave Rennie has confirmed he will not be selecting star playmaker Richie Mo'unga.
Rennie revealed he already has a team pencilled in for next month's first of four Tests against the world champion Springboks, dubbed the "Greatest Rivalry" series.
But the classy fly-half will not feature when the selectors name a 44-man squad for the high-profile tour, the coach told journalists on Thursday.
Mo'unga was New Zealand's tactical playmaker at the last two World Cups but, under New Zealand Rugby's strict eligibility rules, has been out of contention since leaving to play club rugby in Japan in 2023.
