So close yet so far: players out of reach for the All Blacks shine in Super Rugby

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — It may be human nature that things prohibited are the most desirable. So it is for new head coach Dave Rennie who might find players in Super Rugby who are ineligible for All Blacks selection especially tantalizing. The many New Zealand players who are overseas, permanently or on sabbatical, are out of sight and mind. The players in Super Rugby who are still out of reach are more enticing. Top of that list is the Hurricanes winger Fehi Fineanganofo who should in every way be All Blacks material. The 23-year-old was born, raised and educated in Auckland, played in the National Provincial Championship for Bay of Plenty and for the New Zealand sevens before joining the Wellington-based Hurricanes in 2024. His combination of power and pace, his 15 tries in 10 matches this season — one short of the tournament’s season record of 16 — would have made him a standout for Rennie’s first All Blacks team. But Fineanganofo has already signed for the Newcastle Red Bulls in Premiership Rugby for the next two years, taking him out of All Blacks consideration. Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw was asked whether anything could be done to keep the winger in New Zealand. “I’m not sure,” he said. “Be nice to keep him here, wouldn’t it? “For the competition, forget higher honors and stuff, for us and for the competition he’s a genuine X-factor. He’s a highlight reel most weeks.” Fineanganofo has made clear his own reasons for leaving. “I just want to provide for my family and maybe try another opportunity,” he said. Another Hurricanes player to catch the eye has been the Japan-based lock Warner Dearns, born and brought up in Wellington but part of the Japan national team since 2021. He has two years to run on his current contract with his Japan club. Currently 24, he might still be able to play for New Zealand after a three-year standown. And who wouldn't want a 2.03m (6'6") lock with the agility of a loose forward. “I’ve got another two years after this season that I’m contracted to Toshiba. I’d always think of coming back in the future,” Dearns said. “Whether that’s after these next two years, after the next World Cup or it might be another five or six years before I think about coming back. “With New Zealand being where I grew up, it’s always a place that I’m open to wanting to come and play rugby.”

Brumbies see red

The ACT Brumbies have slipped to sixth place after a 30-21 loss to the Queensland Reds in the weekend’s 12th round of matches. The Brumbies’ presence in the playoffs has been a constant for the past six full seasons of Super Rugby. This season, they’re just hanging on to the playoff zone with five wins and six losses from 11 matches. Their loss to the Reds was their third in succession and their second in derby matches against the Reds this season. The Reds won the Rod Macqueen Cup for the first time since 2022 and only the third time since its introduction in 2005. The trophy goes to the team that wins both matches between the teams in a single season. The Brumbies will finish the regular season with matches against the Western Force, New South Wales Waratahs and Moana Pasifika. The Dunedin-based Highlanders who dropped back to seventh place after a 24-14 loss to the Fijian Drua are five points adrift of the Brumbies and finish with matches against the Waratahs, Chiefs and Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are still atop the table after a hard-fought win over the Crusaders. They are three points clear of the Auckland-based Blues with the Chiefs, Crusaders and Reds in third, fourth and fifth. \\ AP rugby: