Martin Devlin - "Rennie's first All Blacks squad gets the big calls right!"

First things first: congratulations.

Before we start picking holes in the squad and pretending every bloke leaning across a rugby-club bar knows more than the selectors, stop and think about what this day means.

Xavier Numia. Anton Segner. Fehi Fineanganofo. Josh Moorby.

Four new All Blacks. Four families whose lives have changed. Four players joining the most privileged club in New Zealand sport.

Tony Johnson summed it up perfectly during our live DSPN coverage: “They all deserve it.”

He is right.

Numia has threatened to break into this side for several seasons and removed any remaining doubt with his performance in the Super Rugby final. Segner kept producing even when the Blues’ season was falling apart around him. Fineanganofo became impossible to ignore, while Moorby returned from France and, in Tony’s words, “just shot the lights out all year.”

That is what selection should be about. Reward the players who force your hand.

Reporting from the announcement at the Feilding Yellows clubrooms, Jamie Wall was not surprised by any of the four.

“It’s pretty hard to leave out the two top try-scorers in Super Rugby,” he said of Fineanganofo and Moorby.

Jamie described Segner as one of the few Blues players who could hold his head high after their disastrous finish. Numia, meanwhile, was someone many of us presumed would become an All Black eventually.

None of these selections feels like a gamble. They are not bolters plucked from nowhere because a selector saw something during a wet training session in Palmerston North.

They are form selections.

Then there is the captain.

Ardie Savea is the right man. No debate required.

Importantly, this was not simply a decision forced by Scott Barrett’s injury. Rennie indicated Ardie was his preferred captain anyway.

“He’s not a massive talker, but he’ll lead through his actions,” Rennie said. “Massive respect. Very experienced. We think it’s best for the team.”

Captaincy has to sit comfortably on a player’s shoulders. It cannot look like an extra suitcase someone has been ordered to drag through the airport.

Ardie leads naturally. He is a follow-me player. He does not need to deliver a Churchillian speech before every test because his game does the talking for him.

There is a legitimate concern about workload. He has played an enormous amount of rugby, including his commitments in Japan, and this All Blacks season will provide few opportunities to put his feet up.

Captaincy also brings media, commercial and leadership demands. It is no longer just about smashing into bodies for 80 minutes and then finding the nearest ice bath.

But your captain needs to be one of your best players. He needs to command the respect of everyone in the room. Ardie ticks every box.

The biggest surprise is Kyle Preston.

Jamie called it “probably the biggest talking point” in the squad. Most of us assumed Noah Hotham would be selected as the third halfback behind Cam Roigard and Cortez Ratima.

Rennie instead chose the player who spent much of the season behind Hotham at the Crusaders.

The decision does fit Rennie’s stated thinking. He values speed to the breakdown, one of Preston’s strengths. Preston also brings a sharp pass, a strong kicking game and previous experience inside the All Blacks environment.

Still, it is wonderfully predictable that New Zealand rugby can be presented with a new coach, a new captain and four new All Blacks, then spend half the day arguing about the third halfback.

Never change.

The omissions are where things become brutal.

Du’Plessis Kirifi has every right to feel disappointed. He was magnificent for the Hurricanes: relentless, consistent and capable of stealing possession at moments that changed games.

Ollie Norris is unlucky. Ethan Blackadder remains an outstanding player when his body allows him to stay on the paddock. Timoci Tavatavanawai will also have plenty of support.

But where does Tavatavanawai fit?

Is he quick enough to be selected primarily as a test winger? In midfield, does he get ahead of Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Billy Proctor or Anton Lienert-Brown?

That is not criticism. It is the cold reality of squad construction.

Tony put it best: “You can debate these till the cows come home.”

And we will.

Rennie’s first squad is not revolutionary. Nor should it be. It rewards the best domestic performers, introduces four deserving players and retains enough experience for what comes next.

Good squad? Yes.

A few surprises? Absolutely.

But squad announcements do not win test matches. The judgement that matters starts when the whistle blows.

For now, congratulations to the four new boys.

Enjoy the moment. Then get to work.