Dave Rennie is pleased to have Leicester Fainga’anuku available as he provides the All Blacks with genuine flexibility with his ability to play in the backline and forwards.

Fainga’anuku returned to New Zealand earlier this year after a stint in France with Top 14 club RC Toulon, where he started to become a hybrid player.

The 27-year-old started out as a winger/centre during his first stint in New Zealand but would end matches in the loose forwards after starting in the backline for the famous French side.

His development as a hybrid player continued under Rob Penney this year, starting his stint as a back before switching to the openside flanker position in round 11 and featuring there until the semi-final defeat to the Chiefs.

Dave Rennie on Leicester Fainga’anuku

He broke his leg in that defeat and subsequently missed out on selection for the July Nations Championship matches and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour.

Having marked his return in the NPC with Tasman, Fainga’anuku has now been added to the All Blacks squad, named among the loose forwards, but Rennie has confirmed that he won’t be playing exclusively in the back-row.

“We’ve named five locks, six loosies, but if you consider Tupou Vaa’i can play loose and then Leicester can play midfield and wing and that sort of thing. We have got a lot of flexibility there, and we are excited to get Leicester in; it’s been a frustrating last few months for him,” Rennie said.

“Obviously (he) came back from injury and then got a concussion with Tasman. He has been running really well over the last sort of couple of weeks, and it’d be great to have him, and he gives us genuine flexibility.”

Pressed on where he could feature, Rennie said: “Definitely a hybrid. He has played a lot of wing for the All Blacks. He’s very comfortable at 12, and he has played a fair bit of seven this year. So, he can genuinely fill a number of spots.”

One drawback about selecting Fainga’anuku is his lack of game time, as he has played just two halves of rugby for Tasman recently, which isn’t ideal with the NPC now concluded.

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“It’s limited; it is less than we would have liked,” the head coach said about the utility star’s game time.

“But I still think it’s better to have him in the group for the next four or five weeks – he’s in reasonable nick now. Whether he’s game-ready is the test. He’ll definitely feature on tour.”

South Africa admission

Rennie added that he is a player that the All Blacks wanted to have involved earlier in the year.

“We would have been keen for Leicester to go to South Africa,” he admitted.

“It is not just throwing someone in; he has shown at super level that he can do the job really well. The challenge for him is often getting your head around all the detail.

“Maybe seven is not quite as challenging because of the lineout options and other things are simpler, but he gives you massive flexibility. You can name a 5-3 three bench, but it’s genuinely a 6-2, and he can definitely make an impact in all of those spots.”