Taylor to Lead All Blacks' 36-Man Squad for Nations Championship Tour

Dave Rennie has named a 36-man All Blacks squad for the November leg of the Nations Championship, with Codie Taylor captaining a group that will play Scotland, Wales and England before the finals weekend. The squad includes four new faces — hooker George Bell, prop Saula Ma'u and loose forwards Leicester Fainga'anuku and Christian Lio-Willie — and welcomes back eight players from injury, among them Jordie Barrett, Richie Mo'unga, Anton Lienert-Brown and Ethan Blackadder. Five players miss out through injury: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Shannon Frizell, Tyrel Lomax, Leroy Carter and Ruben Love. The tour opens against Scotland on November 7, followed by Wales on November 14 and England on November 21, with the finals weekend at Twickenham from November 27 to 29. New Zealand travel top of the southern-hemisphere pool on points difference, and Rennie's selections balance experience — Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and Will Jordan among the backs — with the fresh legs needed for three Tests in three weeks.