The All Blacks have called up Richie Mo’unga for the rest of their South Africa tour. The 32-year-old fly-half, due in Johannesburg on Friday, takes the squad place of Billy Proctor, whose tour ended with a fractured shoulder blade against the Stormers. His last appearance in black was the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, lost to the Springboks.

The recall came down to an injury. Billy Proctor started the opening tour match against the Stormers (38-21), fractured his shoulder blade and went home to Wellington. The coaches waited until after the game against the Sharks, on Wednesday morning, to make the call. “Richie was the logical choice to replace him. His job now is to fit in, learn our systems, master the tactical detail and earn his place on the field,” Dave Rennie explained.

Mo’unga had not worn the New Zealand jersey since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, his 56th cap. His move to Japan cost him his eligibility. His three seasons at Toshiba Brave Lupus were full ones: 51 matches, all as a starter, 414 points and two Japanese titles. Back home on an 18-month contract with Canterbury, the Crusaders and the national union, he regained eligibility by playing in the NPC. In two games for Canterbury, he scored 11 points, including the match-winning try against Auckland (38-31), then lifted the Ranfurly Shield at Otago’s expense (19-15).

The man himself is keeping his feet on the ground. “I’m going to play a role, whatever it is. That might even mean not playing, and I’m fine with that. There’s a lot of work to do, a lot of trust to earn,” he told Stuff. Having only arrived on Friday, he is not expected to feature on Saturday against the Bulls in Pretoria.

Competition at fly-half is real. Ruben Love landed seven conversions from eight in the 54-0 win over the Sharks, Josh Jacomb starts on Saturday, Beauden Barrett moves to full-back and Damian McKenzie, who hurt an ankle in Durban, should be fit for the first Test. Mo’unga therefore arrives with no guarantees, nine days before the first of four Tests against the Springboks, on 22 August at Ellis Park. Proctor is not the first to go home either: hooker George Bell, injured at the first training session, had already been replaced by Bradley Slater.