Roigard only change for ABs Northern Tour

A recovered Cam Roigard will take his place as halfback in the All Blacks squad for the end of year tour.

Head coach Scott Robertson this afternoon named the 36-man squad that will travel to Japan, England, Ireland, France and Italy to play five tests.

Roigard is the only change to the squad that secured home-and-away Rugby Championship test wins against Australia last month. The 23-year-old suffered a serious knee injury during this year's Super Rugby season while playing for the Hurricanes.

Cam Roigard has fully recovered from a knee injury. Photo: Getty Images

He scored two tries for provincial side Counties Manukau at the weekend in a successful return to competitive rugby, and joins veteran TJ Perenara and Cortez Ratima among the squad's three halfbacks.

Crusaders halfback Noah Hotham, who made his test debut against Fiji in San Diego, misses out.

“It was fantastic to see Cam in great form for Counties in the weekend and we are excited to have him back in the mix,” Robertson said in a statement today.

"Fellow halfbacks Cortez Ratima and TJ Perenara showed during the Rugby Championship that they deserve their spots in the squad, and this means Noah Hotham will be included in the All Blacks XV squad to be announced tomorrow, where he will be able to gain some valuable playing time."

Robertson has retained former captain and loose forward Sam Cane, who played his 100th test match against the Wallabies last month.

New Zealand media had speculated he would cut Cane and Perenara to develop new players, given the seasoned pair will head to Japan on multiple-year deals at the end of the current season.

However, the head coach has opted for continuity on his first northern tour after losing the Rugby Championship title to world champions South Africa.

Sam Cane played his 100th test match last month. Photo Getty Images

Cane retains his place among a loose forward mix also featuring Dalton Papali'i, Wallace Sititi and Ethan Blackadder.

The All Blacks start their tour against Eddie Jones's Japan in Yokohama on October 26 before meeting England at Twickenham on November 2. They then face Ireland, France and Italy in successive weeks in November.

"This Northern Tour is an exciting challenge, which will allow us to continue evolving our game and building a style of rugby that creates opportunities against some fierce competition," Robertson said.

"We have selected a squad that will bring consistency and continuity, while also achieving the right balance of giving newer talent the chance to develop within a team that has valuable experience against these northern hemisphere sides.”

In addition to the squad of 36, a small number of players from the All Blacks XV squad will travel to Japan with the All Blacks to help with their preparation and gain additional experience in the All Blacks environment, before joining up with the All Blacks XV squad to play Munster and Georgia in November.

This will also allow a group of players from the All Blacks squad to travel to England two days earlier to focus on preparation for the Northern Tour test matches.

The All Blacks leave for Japan on October 17.