Blues lock Sam Darry poised for All Blacks test debut against Fiji

Blues lock Sam Darry is in line to make his test debut, after being promoted into the All Blacks squad for their clash with Fiji in San Diego on Saturday.

Darry's elevation comes as a result of coach Scott Robertson's decision to leave Patrick Tuipulotu in Auckland, where the Blues skipper will be afforded more time to rest and rehabilitate his injured knee.

He suffered a torn medial ligament during the quarter-final win over Fijian Drua which was expected to rule him out for the rest of the playoffs, before he made a shock comeback for the final in a standout display against the Chiefs.

Assistant coach Leon MacDonald says the call to keep Tuipulotu on ice was made with a view to the Rugby Championship and beyond.

"We just feel we need to look after him a little bit," MacDonald said. "Sam Darry has come in to give him a bit of a break."

Cantabrian Darry had a breakout Super Rugby Pacific campaign with the Blues in 2024, becoming a key part of the team's rugged, forwards-based approach that saw them lift their first fully fledged title in 21 years.

The 23-year-old joins captain Scott Barrett and Tupou Vaa'i as one of only three specialist locks in the squad, meaning he'll likely don the black jersey in some capacity at SnapDragon Stadium.

McDonald says the coaching staff have been impressed with Darry's contribution on the training paddock, describing him as an "immensely talented young man".

"He has just thrived in the environment and impressed us with his sheer work rate and determination. He has deserved his spot here on this tour and is making every post a winner."

By all accounts, Darry's won't be the only new name on the team sheet when the matchday squad is officially announced Thursday morning (NZ time), with MacDonald hinting at a "couple of new faces" up for selection.

With relatively minimal preparation time after the long flight to California, MacDonald says the team have been straight to work preparing for a traditionally physical affair against the powerful Fijians.

They opened their 2024 test season with a win over the rapidly improving Georgians in Batumi earlier this month.

"We respect Fiji immensely. You only have to watch the World Cup how they beat Australia and how close they took England," MacDonald noted.

"It's going to be a dry ball and a fast track. If we drop our guard a bit they will hurt us and we don't want that to happen at all. We want to have a really good performance and one we can be really proud of."