Three Crusaders named in 2026 Māori All Blacks

We're proud to announce three Crusaders have been named in the 2026 Māori All Blacks squad.  

First fives Rivez Reihana (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) and Taha Kemara (Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Whakatōhea) and Lock Tahlor Cahill (Ngāpuhi) will again join the team after their debut call ups in 2024. 

The Māori All Blacks will open Japan’s 2026 international programme when they take on Japan XV on Saturday, June 27 at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya. 

The match will be played as part of the Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2026, marking another chapter in the strong and enduring rugby relationship between New Zealand Rugby and the Japan Rugby Football Union. 

The fixture will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in the past three years, and the seventh overall since the first encounter in 1981. 

Across those seven matches, the Māori All Blacks have claimed victory on six occasions. Japan XV’s lone win remains a memorable one, a 26–14 victory in Toyota City in 2024.