The Debate Over Ruben Love’s International Prospects
Ex-All Blacks star Jeff Wilson has expressed the need for patience if the Hurricanes’ Ruben Love is given a chance to start for the national team in the Nations Championship. The 25-year-old has delivered a series of outstanding performances in Super Rugby Pacific this season, shining as a fly-half for the best-performing team in the 2026 competition so far.
There have been growing calls for new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie to consider starting Love at 10 ahead of more experienced players like Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie when the Nations Championship kicks off in July. While Barrett and McKenzie remain strong favorites due to their experience and quality, there’s no denying that Love is currently the form pivot.
Insights from Test Centurion Mils Muliaina
During a discussion on The Breakdown, Test centurion Mils Muliaina highlighted that Love is “right up there” for international selection. He noted that the Hurricanes’ playing style suits Love perfectly.
“There’s no doubt that the Hurricanes are playing the sort of style that suits Ruben Love,” Muliaina said. “He’s come back [from injury] and just looks a lot more confident in that position. He understands that he’s got time on his hands, and he also knows the guys that are on his outside.”
Muliaina added that Love is particularly effective in controlling the forward pack. “He’s running them around the park, he understands where they’ve got to go. He’s right in the mix.”
A Trio of Experienced Players
Richie Mo’unga is expected to join the fray when he returns from Japan later in the year, giving the All Blacks a trio of players with over 50 caps. Stephen Donald, another panellist on the show, referred to these three as the ‘big three,’ but there’s potential for Love to challenge their dominance.
However, Wilson has cautioned that it would be a significant learning curve if Love is thrust into the deep end by Rennie. “You’re talking about positions where we actually have a lot of options and depth, and the one thing about Ruben Love is if you’re going to select him and start him at 10, there are going to be some inevitable growing pains as he goes through some Test matches because he just doesn’t have experience,” he said.
Wilson acknowledged Love’s confidence, adding, “I have no issue with that.” However, he pointed out the challenges of facing teams like France and Ireland, followed by four Tests against the Springboks. “That will be hard for Ruben Love if he is the starting 10 to navigate his way through – there will be things he will learn on the fly and he will have to live with that.”
Questions Around Cam Roigard’s Role
There have also been suggestions about moving world-class scrum-half Cam Roigard to 10, but Wilson has his doubts about this move given the All Blacks’ struggles for depth at nine.
“Who’s our reserve half-back? That’s another question. You talk about playing Cam Roigard out of position. I get it, you look at the skill set, but I’m not convinced who our backup nine is right now,” he added.
Wilson pointed out that no player has clearly emerged as the next nine. “You’ve got Xavier Roe and Cortez Ratima fighting for a nine jersey [at the Chiefs], Finlay Christie is the best of the Blues guys and Noah Hotham is still trying to find his game [at the Crusaders]. We’ve got some big conversations in that position. I reckon he’s got headaches everywhere, for very different reasons, ‘I’ve got too many players here, I haven’t quite got what I like here, I’ve got to leave some good players out or I’ve got to find some new talent’.”
