Vaea Fifita left confused after omitted from All Blacks squad

Hurricanes loose forward Vaea Fifita said he was surprised by the reason given by All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen on his omission from the Rugby Championship squad.

Fifita, who was among the notable omission made by Hansen will now feature in the Mitre 10 Cup as he aims to make a comeback into the national squad.

Earlier, Hansen had said that the 26-year-old was not going to be picked as a loose forward after he played most of the Super Rugby season at lock.

However, Hansen surprised by picking Highlanders forward Jackson Hemopo over Fifita at the same position leaving the Hurricanes star puzzled.

"He told me that. But when I saw he got interviewed and he said he signed Hemopo to six, not lock, I kind of feel like he's not telling me the truth," Fifita said.

"I like six because I can use my athleticism to do what I can do on the outside, rather than just stay tight and do the hard work like running into a brick wall and getting your body tired."

Fifita went on to play seven Tests for New Zealand since his debut against Samoa last year and has managed to score two tries in it.

New Zealand will face trans-Tasman rivals Australia in the opening game of the Rugby Championship tournament on 18th August in Sydney.