All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has made several changes from the team that beat the Springboks at Ellis Park for Sunday morning’s second test in Cape Town.

Prop George Bower, who helped steady the All Blacks scrum after coming off the bench in last weekend’s 33-16 win in Johannesburg, replaces Ethan de Groot, who is out with concussion, in the starting front row.

Codie Taylor and Tyrel Lomax are retained at hooker and prop respectively.

Tupou Vaa’i moves from blindside to lock, replacing Josh Lord, who was also ruled out of the second test following a head clash with de Groot last week at Ellis Park.

Vaa’i will partner with Fabian Holland in the second row.

Chiefs loose forward Simon Parker gets the nod at blindside flanker, filling the spot left vacant by Vaa’i’s move to lock. Parker beats out the likes of Wallace Sititi and Ethan Blackadder, who was man of the match in Wednesday’s win over the Lions.

Ardie Savea captains the side from No.8 with Luke Jacobson at openside.

Hurricanes front rower Xavier Numia comes onto the bench to provide prop cover, while veteran Patrick Tuipulotu has been named in the reserves to cover lock.

In the backs, there is one change from last week’s team, with Leroy Carter taking over on the left wing from Josh Moorby, who drops to the bench.

The backline remains the same bar the change on the wing, with Cam Roigard at halfback, Ruben Love at first-five, Jordie Barrett and Quinn Tupaea in the midfield.

Damian McKenzie, who will be playing his 34th consecutive test, is at fullback with Will Jordan, the All Blacks all-time leading try scorer, on the right wing.

Jordan extended his record to 53 tries last weekend, joining English winger Rory Underwood in sixth place on the men’s international test try-scoring list.

Japanese winger Daisuke Ohata holds the record with 69 tries.

Rennie said there’s fierce competition for spots in the matchday 23 and he expects both teams to improve on their performances last weekend in Johannesburg.

“While we were happy with the win last week, I think both teams will be better this weekend,” Rennie said.

“We’ve played four tests this year and are still growing as a group. I’m really excited about the competition for places and the performances of the squad across the matches here in South Africa, and we’re really looking forward to this weekend.”

Asafo Aumua is the reserve hooker, Fletcher Newell and Numia the back up props, with Peter Lakai the one loose forward on the bench, which also includes midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown and halfback Kyle Preston, who has played all five of the All Blacks games in South Africa so far.

The All Blacks lead the four test series 1-0 and know a win in Cape Town this weekend would heap even more pressure on the hosts and go a long way to securing a series victory.

The All Blacks have played South Africa 111 times, for 64 wins, 43 losses and four draws.

The All Blacks will be playing only their second ever test match at DHL Stadium, with all ten previous Cape Town tests played at the old Newlands Stadium.

New Zealand won seven of those 11 previous tests against the the Springboks in Cape Town, with the last win nine years ago in 2017.

The Springboks won the most recent test, beating the All Blacks 31-27 in 2024.

This weekend’s second test kicks off at 5:10am Sunday (NZT).

All Blacks match-day 23 (Test caps in brackets)

1. George Bower (27)

2. Codie Taylor (110)

3. Tyrel Lomax (52)

4. Fabian Holland (13)

5. Tupou Vaa’i (48)

6. Simon Parker (9)

7. Luke Jacobson (28)

8. Ardie Savea (110) – Captain

9. Cam Roigard (21)

10. Ruben Love (9)

11. Leroy Carter (8)

12. Jordie Barrett (82)

13. Quinn Tupaea (27)

14. Will Jordan (58)

15. Damian McKenzie (78)

16. Asafo Aumua (23)

17. Xavier Numia (2)

18. Fletcher Newell (38)

19. Patrick Tuipulotu (57)

20. Peter Lakai (11)

21. Kyle Preston (2)

22. Anton Lienert-Brown (91)

23. Josh Moorby (3)

Analysis: This weekend’s first test between the New Zealand All Blacks and South African Springboks will be played 105 years after the two nations first began the “greatest rivalry” in rugby in 1921.

A great deal has changed in that time, including the composition of All Blacks teams and the players’ eligibility to tour the formerly apartheid republic.

In 2026, well over half the squad of 44 have Māori or Pacific ethnic backgrounds.

That would have been impossible 66 years ago when the 1960 All Blacks team toured South Africa. In fact, only 18 of the current squad would have been able to travel back then.

Under the old republic’s “colour bar”, a majority of today’s squad – including the most recently capped All Black, Semisi Ta’eiloa (who is of Tongan descent) – would not have been eligible.

But that was precisely what happened from 1928 until 1970, a period when New Zealand rugby administrators accepted the touring conditions set down by a racist state.

After the historic 1921 series played in New Zealand ended in a draw, the All Blacks toured Britain, Ireland and France in 1924-25. They won every match and were dubbed “the Invincibles”.

Anticipation for the All Blacks’ first tour of South Africa in 1928 was high, not least because of a new superstar of the game, fullback George Nepia, who had become the face of the Invincibles aged just 19.

Nepia was All Black #295 – nearly 1000 All Black caps before Ta’eiloa at #1241 – and should have been part of the team to take on the Springboks. But, as his official All Blacks profile puts it:

Because he was of Māori ancestry he and another fine player, Jimmy Mill, were declared ineligible because of South Africa’s race prejudices.

This would create a significant gap in Nepia’s career record. Ultimately, as a leading anti-apartheid campaigner later wrote, it was because the then New Zealand Rugby Football Union “failed to confront South African racist political pressure”.

Despite growing unease and opposition, especially among Māori, the policy stayed in place for the All Blacks’ 1949 tour of South Africa (where they lost all four tests). By 1960, when the All Blacks were due to tour again, a genuine protest movement had emerged.

The Citizens’ All Black Tour Association raised one of the country’s largest ever petitions, collecting over 150,000 signatures under its banner of “No Māoris – No Tour”.

Regardless, and despite the Sharpeville massacre just two months earlier, the 1960 tour went ahead without any Māori players.

South Africa was by now becoming a pariah state, and was banned from the Olympic Games from 1964 to 1988. The 1976 Olympics were boycotted by African countries in direct protest at the All Blacks tour of South Africa earlier that year, not long after the Soweto uprising that saw 176 protesting schoolchildren killed.

Things had shifted in New Zealand, too, albeit slowly. A proposed All Blacks tour of South Africa in 1967 had been abandoned because of the whites-only policy. A 1970 tour went ahead with brown players included – but only because they were exempted by South Africa as “honorary whites”.

Among the three non-white All Blacks was legendary winger Bryan Williams, the first player of Samoan heritage to tour South Africa. He toured again in 1976 – 50 years before Semisi Ta’eiloa followed in his bootsteps.

By 1981, however, playing rugby with apartheid South Africa had become deeply entwined in New Zealand’s domestic politics, culminating in protests and police action during the Springbok tour that tore the country apart.

Change and reconciliation was slow, but by the end of the next decade, Nelson Mandela had been released, apartheid had ended, and South Africa had hosted and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

In 2010, the New Zealand and South African rugby unions formally apologised for the exclusion of Māori players during the apartheid era. The New Zealand union also apologised more generally for the division rugby’s contact with South Africa had caused.

With kickoff in the first test of the 2026 series approaching, the dominant narrative in New Zealand and South Africa has been one of anticipation and excitement after a 30-year gap since the last All Blacks tour in 1996.

At a sporting level, that’s understandable. Having lost the 1995 World Cup final to the Springboks, the All Blacks returned the next year and recorded their first ever series win on South African soil.

But there’s another narrative, too. Not only is this All Blacks squad filled with brown faces, Springboks captain Siya Kolisi is the first black player to hold that position. The story of how that happened is about more than rugby.

It’s important to remember that history, including the inconvenient truths that can all too often be glossed over with the passage of time.

And while we celebrate All Blacks past and present for their on-field endeavours, we can’t forget those who struggled off the field for equality and inclusion in sport and society – and who give rugby’s “greatest rivalry” even greater meaning.

The authors acknowledge the contribution to this article of distinguished professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith of Massey University.

*Jeremy Hapeta is an associate professor in Māori Sport, Physical Education and Oranga, School of Health Sciences at University of Canterbury, and Rochelle Stewart-Withers

a professor in Indigenous and International Development, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa -at Massey University.

This story was originally published on The Conversation.

Source: RNZ

The All Blacks have recalled several star players with Cam Roigard, Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie named to start in this weekend’s test against the Springboks in Johannesburg.

The trio return from injury to take their place in the side while Ardie Savea resumes the captaincy duties after being rested for the first three games of the South African tour.

Savea is at No.8 with coach Dave Rennie retaining the loose forward trio from last month’s win against Ireland, with Luke Jacobson at openside and Tupou Vaa’i at blindside.

Codie Taylor is at hooker with Tyrel Lomax and Ethan de Groot the starting props.

There was plenty of speculation as to who would play lock and Rennie has gone with Fabian Holland and Josh Lord in the second row, with Vaa’i to provide cover.

In the backs, Roigard returns at halfback with Ruben Love at first-five and Jordie Barrett and Quinn Tupaea in the midfield.

McKenzie has overcome the ankle injury that ruled him out of the win over the Bulls last weekend and will start at fullback, with Jordan and Josh Moorby on the wings.

Rennie has gone with a 5-3 split of forwards and backs on the bench, which includes front rowers Asafo Aumua, George Bower and Fletcher Newell, loose forwards Peter Lakai and Anton Segner, midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown, halfback Kyle Preston and outside back Leroy Carter.

Rennie said they can’t wait to run out on Ellis Park on Sunday morning (NZT).

“After all the build up and anticipation, our whole touring squad is excited to get this first Test underway,” Rennie said.

“We have selected a balanced mix of big match, experienced players and younger players who have earned the right to play in this first Test.”

Rennie said the three games against the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls in South Africa have proved invaluable as they prepare for their biggest challenge of the year so far.

“The first three franchise games have exposed our newer players to the way South African teams play and have been fantastic in helping us build combinations and develop the game we want to play.

“We know the Test series will be a huge step up. We’re well aware of what the Springboks will bring to the contest and the pressure that will come to bear. They are number one in the world, playing at their spiritual home in front of their passionate fans, so we will have to be at our very best on Saturday.”

Savea, Roigard and Jordan will make their first appearance of the tour in the match, while Savea and Taylor are playing their 110th Tests.

It will be Savea’s 18th Test against South Africa and Taylor’s 17th.

Segner and Moorby will be playing the Springboks for the first time.

Kick off is 3am NZT on Sunday morning at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

All Blacks match-day 23 (Test caps in brackets) :

1. Ethan de Groot (43)

2. Codie Taylor (109)

3. Tyrel Lomax (51)

4. Josh Lord (15)

5. Fabian Holland (12)

6. Tupou Vaa’i (47)

7. Luke Jacobson (27)

8. Ardie Savea (109) – Captain

9. Cam Roigard (20)

10. Ruben Love (8)

11. Josh Moorby (2)

12. Jordie Barrett (81)

13. Quinn Tupaea (26)

14. Will Jordan (57)

15. Damian McKenzie (77)

16. Asafo Aumua (22)

17. George Bower (26)

18. Fletcher Newell (37)

19. Anton Segner (2)

20. Peter Lakai (10)

21. Kyle Preston (1)

22. Anton Lienert-Brown (90)

23. Leroy Carter (7)

RNZ