PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Richie Mo’unga was on his way to South Africa after New Zealand confirmed his recall on Thursday as an injury replacement for the ongoing tour of the republic.

The flyhalf replaced center Billy Proctor, who broke a shoulder blade against the Stormers on Friday in Cape Town. Another flyhalf, Damian McKenzie, twisted his ankle against the Sharks on Tuesday in Durban.

Mo’unga will arrive in Johannesburg on Friday, too late to take part in the All Blacks’ third match against the Bulls on Saturday in Pretoria.

“Richie is the obvious choice as a replacement,” All Blacks coach Dave Rennie said in a statement. “His job now is to get in and learn our systems, get his head around the detail and earn the right to play.”

Mo’unga’s 56th and last test appearance for New Zealand was in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against South Africa in Paris. By then, he’d already signed a three-year contract with Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and moved to Japan after the tournament.

His commitment impressed as he led the Brave Lupus to Japan Rugby League One titles in 2024 and 2025, even playing with a broken hand in the 2025 final. He was player of the year in both seasons. This year they were knocked out in the quarterfinals in May.

In Mo’unga’s absence, the All Blacks gave the No. 10 jersey to Damian McKenzie and the veteran Beauden Barrett without either nailing it down. Ruben Love was introduced in 2024 but wasn’t trusted until Rennie gave him the reins last month in the Nations Championship. Love is expected to start the test series against the Springboks next week.

Mo’unga signalled his return to New Zealand a year ago for a third tilt at the World Cup next year in Australia. He signed for 18 months to the end of next year. But eligibility rules meant to be available to the All Blacks he first had to play in the New Zealand championship, the NPC.

And New Zealand Rugby said he couldn’t be picked for the South Africa tour unless there was an injury.

Proctor’s unfortunate break in the opening tour match gave Mo’unga that chance.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby