All Blacks shake up the pack for a crunch third rugby test in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The first throwback rugby tour between New Zealand and South Africa in 30 years has lived up to the hype for new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie.

The All Blacks usually zip in and out of the republic in two weeks. They have been in Springboks country for five weeks, and counting.

They have been reacquainted with provincial opponents who withdrew from Super Rugby after 2020, enjoyed outstanding hospitality, and amazing support from travelling Kiwis and even many locals.

“Been brilliant, everything we thought it would be,” Rennie said of the tour on Thursday.

The test series has been as intense and compelling as the very first one in 1921 but both teams are going into uncharted territory. It’s the first series to go back-to-back-to-back-to-back on four consecutive Saturdays with a 13,000-kilometer flight over the Atlantic tacked on in the last week. They’ve played three straight Saturdays, once, during the last tour in 1996.

Most pre-tour predictions were for South Africa to win 4-0 or 3-1, and the latter may yet happen. Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus said this week they never thought about a sweep but Rennie admitted on Thursday that, with the series 1-1 after two tests, if he’d been offered that beforehand he’d have taken it.

New Zealand pack refreshed

For the crunch third test on Saturday at FNB Stadium, he plumped for fresh legs in the pack and an unchanged backline.

Hooker Asafo Aumua and flanker Peter Lakai are starting after their considerable impacts off the bench, and lock Sam Darry will make his first appearance in the series.

Dropped altogether was 111-cap hooker Codie Taylor, the most experienced player in the team beside captain Ardie Savea, and to the reserves went lock Fabian Holland, world breakthrough player of 2025. Hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho and flanker Wallace Sititi were added to the bench.

“I’ve said that it’s going to take more than 23 players to win the series here,” Rennie said. “This is as much about sharing the load.”

Darry’s engine was “handy” for their game plan at altitude. Told the All Blacks have won eight out of their last 10 tests at altitude in South Africa over the last 10 years, Rennie said, “I like that stat. We don’t see it as a negative playing up here.”

He expects better from the All Blacks in lineouts and the aerial contestables, issues for them in the 33-26 second test defeat in Cape Town, plus not allowing South Africa another fast start.

Enough talk about scrums

Rennie was keen to move on from talking about scrums; his claims of South Africa walking around drew vehement protests from Erasmus.

“It’s funny our game, eh? What one guy sees on one side of a ruck another sees something different,” Rennie said. “There’s a lot on the line but I don’t see it as a war of words. He said a couple of things, I’ve said a couple of things, and that’s footy.”

He added he and Erasmus had beers together after each test. They will also be sitting near each other on Sunday morning when the teams fly out of Johannesburg on a charter flight to Baltimore for the fourth test.

“Rassie joked about it last week because someone’s going to be grumpy getting on the plane,” Rennie said. “Not sure we’re sitting together but there’s a huge amount of respect amongst their players and our players. What you tend to find is both sides are trying to rip their heads off for 80 minutes but when they connect they have a few beers. There’s a lot of goodwill there. It’ll be good travelling together.”

Erasmus said they’re used to sharing flights with opponents, having done it with Argentina for their return match.

“It’s kind of a weird thing to do,” Erasmus said on Monday. “Yesterday we were coming hard at each other and now we’re sitting on a plane together for 12, 15 hours. It’s an interesting one.”

South Africa named its team on Monday, replacing injured fullback Damian Willemse with Cheslin Kolbe and filling the vacant wing with Kurt-Lee Arendse.

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New Zealand: Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan, Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Leroy Carter, Ruben Love, Cam Roigard; Ardie Savea (captain), Luke Jacobson, Peter Lakai, Sam Darry, Tupou Vaa’i, Tyrel Lomax, Asafo Aumua, George Bower. Reserves: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Xavier Numia, Fletcher Newell, Fabian Holland, Wallace Sititi, Kyle Preston, Anton Lienert-Brown, Josh Moorby.

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