The new Dave Rennie-Ardie Savea All Blacks era is here. And it starts with notable change.
Rennie unveiled his maiden 34-man All Blacks squad on Monday for the first three Nations Champions Tests against France, Italy and Ireland in July.
A fresh 44-man squad will be named for the greatest rivalry tour to South Africa in August. Adding a further 10 players will allow Rennie greater flexibility and a chance to build depth but, for now, the squeeze has forced out experienced figures such as Rieko Ioane.
Four rookie inclusions capture most attention, but Ioane is among the headline absentees.
The 88-Test veteran is the first All Black to be dropped while remaining contracted to New Zealand Rugby after opting to cash in with an overseas sabbatical.
While Anton Lienert-Brown and new permanent national captain Ardie Savea return from Japan, where they claimed the League One title under Rennie with Kobe, Ioane's six-month stint with Leinster has cost him his place in the All Blacks.
Ioane regressed in recent years from a consistent starting centre to the point he no longer demanded a place in the All Blacks first-choice team but his omission entirely from Rennie's wider squad reflects a changing of the guard, particularly with Leicester Fainga'anuku to return from injury later this year.
Largely featuring on the wing, before finishing the season at centre as Leinster toppled the Bulls to claim successive URC titles, Ioane had mixed reviews during his time in Ireland after Jordie Barrett set the bar before his arrival.
Ioane will now return to play provincial rugby for Auckland and attempt to work his way back into the All Blacks frame for South Africa.
"Rieko's omission is more to do with the quality of what the players have done here," Rennie said. "He was close, he was constantly in discussion. His form of late has been really good at Leinster. He's played a bit of centre, a bit of wing, over there but in the end we felt there were other guys going better here.
"In Africa we'll take 44 so having players that are versatile will be important because you play multiple games a week."
Ioane was partly forced out by form Hurricanes finishers Josh Moorby and Fehi Fineanganofo, both of whom scored 17 tries to break the single-season Super Rugby record.
Such was the Hurricanes' compelling, championship-winning campaign, and the way in which Moorby and Fineanganofo furthered their irrepressible finishing prowess, their claims proved too irresistible to ignore.
"Fehi and Josh, they've both been outstanding out wide," Rennie said. "They've finished well but they've got massive work ethic, the ability to beat people and create for others."
Fineanganofo's future remains uncertain after he signed a two-year deal with Newcastle ahead of his standout campaign, but it appears increasingly likely he will attempt to break that contract to pursue a place in the All Blacks' World Cup squad.
As it stands, the 23-year-old prospect is available to the All Blacks for this year's full Test season.
"We made a decision to pick him and that's on form," Rennie said. "I'll let others work through that process. We've got a Test against France and we want the best players available. Fehi is one of those."
In another prominent selection call, Blues openside Anton Segner's rise comes at a cost for Hurricanes co-captain Du'Plessis Kirifi.
After featuring eight times in his rookie Test season under Scott Robertson last year, Kirifi is another major casualty -- as is starting Crusaders halfback Noah Hotham who missed out to Kyle Preston and Cortez Ratima.
"Anton was the best Blues player. He's been solid everywhere," Rennie said. "He's an excellent lineout forward and quality on the carry. He's created a lot of turnovers post tackle.
"If you look at pure numbers Anton has been incredible. His post tackle numbers are in the 90s. He's made really good decisions and he's been really effective. Du'Plessis was unbelievable this time last year. Probably not as good numbers this year but he's a really good player. He's a good athlete, he's got great work ethic. They're discussions we had but Anton's form has been irresistible."
Segner follows Netherlands-born lock Fabian Holland's trailblazing path from a largely untapped European rugby nation to one of the most widely recognised oval ball teams in the world.
"I started playing as a 10-year-old back in Germany in 2011 when the World Cup was over here," Segner said. "Watching the haka, getting up to watch every game, to being a part of this team now words can't do it justice. It's a very special time for myself and my loved ones.
"With me coming over here and giving rugby a crack in New Zealand one of my intentions is to inspire the next generation, not just in New Zealand but especially from Germany and the nations where rugby isn't as big.
"Hopefully with what I'm doing here I can inspire a few other young kids to go to strong rugby countries and give it a crack. If you have the will to do something and you commit to it, anything is possible."
Dynamic loosehead prop Xavier Numia is the other rookie inclusion -- just reward for a season in which his mobility, physicality and set-piece improvements helped propel the Hurricanes to their unstoppable title charge.
While Rennie's tenure marks the start of another new chapter for the All Blacks so, too, does Savea's ascent to assume the captaincy.
Savea was always favoured to grasp the full-time leadership mantle from Scott Barrett who remains sidelined, possibly for the remainder of the year, after back surgery.
As Rennie and Savea combine, the complexion of the All Blacks definitively shifts.