Roigard returns for All Blacks’ demanding northern tour

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Roigard returns for All *******’ demanding northern tour

Star halfback Cam Roigard has overcome a major injury to win a place in the 36-strong All ******* tour squad for Test matches against Japan, England, Ireland, France and Italy.

Roigard played for Counties Manukau in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship on Saturday in his first appearance since March when he suffered a knee injury while playing for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby. He took the field as a replacement and scored two tries.

Head coach Scott Robertson has hurried Roigard back into his squad for the demanding tour on which the All ******* will play three of the world’s top-five teams in consecutive weekends next month.

New Zealand play Eddie Jones’ Japan in Yokohama on October 26, then fifth-ranked England at Twickenham on November 3, top-ranked Ireland in Dublin on November 9 and fourth-ranked France in Paris on November 17. The tour finishes with a match against Italy in Turin on November 24.

Roigard is the only addition to the squad Robertson used throughout the recently-completed Rugby Championship.

He takes the place of the young Crusaders scrumhalf Noah Hotham who will be named Tuesday in an All ******* XV which also will play in the Northern Hemisphere next month.

The All ******* XV, coached by Clayton McMillan, will play Munster at Limerick on November 2 and Georgia at Montpellier on November 10.

“It was fantastic to see Cam (Roigard) in great form for Counties on the weekend and we are excited to have him back in the mix,” Robertson said.

“Fellow (halfbacks) Cortez Ratima and T.J. Perenara showed during the Rugby Championship that they deserve their spots in the squad and this means Noah Hotham will be included in the All ******* XV squad to be announced tomorrow, where he will be able to gain some valuable playing time.”

Robertson has included Perenara and backrower Sam Cane in the squad, though both will end their All ******* careers at the end of the season when they join clubs overseas.

The presence of the All ******* XV in Europe gives Robertson a much deeper group of players to call on if injuries occur.

Robertson said a small group of players from the All ******* XV would join the All ******* in Japan to assist their preparation for that match and gain experience of the All ******* environment. That would free up a group of All ******* to travel ahead to England to begin preparing for that match.

“This Northern Tour is an exciting challenge, which will allow us to continue evolving our game and building a style of rugby that creates opportunities against some fierce competition,” Robertson said.

“We have selected a squad that will bring consistency and continuity while also achieving the right balance of giving newer talent the chance to develop within a team that has valuable experience against these northern hemisphere sides.”

New Zealand squad: Forwards: Asafo Aumua, Codie Taylor, George Bell, Ethan De Groot, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett (captain), Tupou Vaa’i, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Darry, Ethan Blackadder, Sam Cane, Samipeni Finau, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papali’i, Ardie Savea, Wallace Sititi. Backs: TJ Perenara, Cortez Ratima, Cam Roigard, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Billy Proctor, Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan, Ruben Love, Stephen Perofeta, Sevu Reece, Mark Tele’a.

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