Auckland Rugby congratulates the four Auckland All Blacks chosen for the 2017 All Blacks’ Northern Tour.

Regular 2017 squad members, wing Rieko Ioane (10 caps), loose forward Jerome Kaino (74), lock Patrick Tuipulotu (15), and prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi (11) are all named again.

Neither Ioane nor Tu’ungafasi appeared for Auckland in 2017 due to All Blacks’ commitments. Kaino played well in three matches, while Tuipulotu captained Auckland in its first seven games of the season and played strongly throughout for the blue and whites.

Ioane is also a nominee for World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year.

The wing marked his New Zealand debut last November with a try against Italy, but it is in 2017 that he has made his mark on the test arena with eight tries in as many starts. The 20-year-old scored twice in his first start against the British and Irish Lions at Eden Park and claimed another double in his first Bledisloe Cup match in August. He finished the Rugby Championship as joint-top tryscorer with five after beating the most defenders, and making the most clean breaks and metres in the competition.

Ioane will hope to follow in the footsteps of Nehe Milner-Skudder, who won the inaugural breakthrough award in 2015.

Talented Northland midfielder Jack Goodhue, who was schooled in Auckland at Mt Albert Grammar, is also in the squad, having previously trained with the All Blacks this season. North Harbour outside back Matt Duffie, who was educated at St Kentigern College, is also one of the four new caps.

Others to have been schooled in Auckland include Seta Tamanivalu (St Kentigern), Vaea Fifita (Tamaki), and Sonny Bill Williams (MAGS).

The All Blacks will have three tests, against France, Scotland and Wales, along with two non-cap matches against the UK Barbarians and a French XV.

In addition, prop Marcel Renata and No 8 Akira Ioane have again won selection in the Maori All Blacks squad for matches against Canada in Vancouver and the French Barbarians in Bordeaux.

Renata, who started in all 10 games for Auckland in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup, has appeared five times for the Maori since his 2015 debut, while Ioane, the ARU Supporters’ Club player of the year, has six caps to his credit.

All Blacks squad:

Hookers
Asafo Aumua (20, Wellington, uncapped)
Dane Coles (30, Wellington, 55)
Nathan Harris (25, Bay of Plenty, 9)
Codie Taylor (26, Canterbury, 25)

Props
Wyatt Crockett (34, Canterbury, 68)
Kane Hames (29, Tasman, 6)
Nepo Laulala (26, Counties Manukau, 10)
Tim Perry (29, Tasman, uncapped)
Jeffery To’omaga-Allen (26, Wellington, 1)
Ofa Tu’ungafasi (25, Auckland, 11)

Locks
Scott Barrett (23, Taranaki, 14)
Luke Romano (31, Canterbury, 29)
Patrick Tuipulotu (24, Auckland, 15)
Samuel Whitelock (29, Canterbury, 93)

Loose forwards
Sam Cane (25, Bay of Plenty, 50)
Vaea Fifita (25, Wellington, 3)
Jerome Kaino (34, Auckland, 74)
Kieran Read, captain (31, Counties Manukau, 107)
Ardie Savea (24, Wellington, 21)
Liam Squire (26, Tasman, 12)
Matt Todd (29, Canterbury, 10)

    
Halfbacks
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (27, Waikato, 24)
TJ Perenara (25, Wellington, 39)
Aaron Smith (28, Manawatu, 68)
    
First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett (26, Taranaki, 59)
Lima Sopoaga (26, Southland, 13)
   
Midfielders
Ryan Crotty (29, Canterbury, 32)
Jack Goodhue (22, Northland, uncapped)
Ngani Laumape (24, Manawatu, 4)
Anton Lienert-Brown (22, Waikato, 19)
Sonny Bill Williams (32, Counties Manukau, 43)
    
Outside backs
David Havili (22, Tasman, 3)
Matt Duffie (27, North Harbour, uncapped)
Rieko Ioane (20, Auckland, 10)
Damian McKenzie (22, Waikato, 9)
Waisake Naholo (26, Taranaki, 15)
Seta Tamanivalu (25, Taranaki, 3)

Maori All Blacks squad:

Hookers

Ash Dixon (Hawke’s Bay)

Liam Polwart (Bay of Plenty)

Props

Chris Eves (North Harbour)

Ross Wright (Northland)

Marcel Renata (Ngati Whanaunga/Te Aupouri, Auckland)

Tyrel Lomax (Tasman)

Locks

Tom Franklin (Bay of Plenty)

Jackson Hemopo (Otago)

Jarrad Hoeata (North Harbour)

Keepa Mewett (Bay of Plenty)

Loose forwards

Dan Pryor (Northland)

Sam Henwood (Counties Manukau)

Akira Ioane (Ngapuhi/Te Whanau a Apanui, Auckland)

Jordan Manihera (Waikato)

Halfbacks

Brad Weber (Hawke’s Bay)

Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (Taranaki)

Jonathan Ruru (Otago)

First fives

Ihaia West (Hawke’s Bay)

Jackson Garden-Bachop (Wellington)

Midfielders

Tim Bateman (Canterbury)

Rob Thompson (Canterbury)

Teihorangi Walden (Otago)

Outside backs

Sean Wainui (Taranaki)

Charlie Ngatai (Taranaki)

Ambrose Curtis (Manawatu)