Julian Savea dropped by All Blacks for Rugby Championship
Blockbusting wing is not picked on his 27th birthday as Nehe Milner-Skudder and Nepo Laulala returns to the fold under coach Steve Hansen
Blockbusting wing Julian Savea has been dropped from the All Blacks with a fit-again Nehe Milner-Skudder back in the frame in a 33-man squad named on Monday for the Rugby Championship.
With the exception of Milner-Skudder and a recall for prop Nepo Laulala, the line-up reflects the frontline players used in the recent drawn series against the British & Irish Lions.
Savea, known as “The Bus” and with 46 tries from 55 tests, had been a regular in the number 11 jersey for the All Blacks since 2012, but he now finds himself dumped on his 27th birthday.
He looked in a precarious position when only required for the third test in the Lions series, and was then relegated to the bench by the Wellington Hurricanes for their Super Rugby semi-final against South Africa’s Lions.
Milner-Skudder has been making a rapid return to form after being out of rugby for most of the past two years with injury problems. He last played for the All Blacks in the 2015 World Cup final. Of the two All Blacks to take off-shore contracts following the Lions tests, Charlie Faumuina’s departure has opened the door for Laulala.
