Despite Richie Mo'unga opting to see out his contract in Japan, All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson remains hopeful that he will return to New Zealand ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Richie Mo'unga will start at flyhalf for the All Blacks in Saturday's Rugby Championship Test against the Springboks in Auckland in one of five changes to the side.
Fly-half Richie Mo'unga will likely finish his All Blacks career following the next Rugby World Cup after agreeing to join Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo.