Dave Rennie explains big Codie Taylor call and other All Blacks changes for Soweto

Dave Rennie has explained the changes he and his selectors have made to the All Blacks‘ matchday 23 for the third Test of the Greatest Rivalry series in Soweto.

The coach opted to tinker with his forward pack and leave his backline intact for the pivotal match, with Asafo Aumua, Sam Darry and Peter Lakai the big winners of the rethink.

Aumua takes Codie Taylor’s place in the starting XV after some impressive performances off the bench to begin the 2026 Test season, and will be backed up by Samisoni Taukei’aho, who will play his first minutes of the Test series off the bench.

Darry’s promotion to the starting team comes after missing selection in the opening two Tests of the tour, and sees Fabian Holland move to the bench.

Lakai will make just his second start of the All Blacks’ season at FNB Stadium, having also impressed in his impact role over the past three Tests. The 23-year-old replaces Simon Parker in the No.6 jersey, with Wallace Sititi coming onto the bench for just his third Test appearance of the year.

“We contemplated making changes in the backline as well,” Rennie explained at Thursday’s press conference in Johannesburg. “But with the big men, it’s about getting some fresh legs out there; with the backs, it’s a lot about continuity, and we’ve got a group of guys who have played quite a bit of footy together recently. You can see when we’re accurate and getting that right, we’re finding a lot of space. So we’re keen to keep them together.

“South Africa have been similar; they’ve got a fair bit of continuity in their squad this week.

“We’ve looked at a number of positions where we can get impact, and you look at that pack, it’s a pretty powerful group of men coming off the bench.”

It is rare for Test centurion Codie Taylor to miss out on the starting nod, let alone the matchday 23 altogether. Meanwhile, Josh Lord and Ethan de Groot were expected to be fit and available for the Test after following the head injury protocols and sitting out last week. Instead, Rennie has opted for new faces in his team.

“I said a couple of weeks ago that it was going to take more than 23 guys to win this series,” said the coach.

“Codie’s been great for us; we think Asafo’s been excellent impact, and Soni’s played really well in those lead-up games, so it’s about sharing the load. Asafo will get a lot more footy, which will be great. That’s the thinking around hooker.

“There’s not much between our locks, as I’ve mentioned. Josh Lord had his first day back at training today, so we decided not to consider him; he’s had a bit of a history of concussion, so we’re going to err on the side of caution. Sam Darry hasn’t played in the Test series but has a massive engine and suits how we want to play, so that’ll be handy at altitude.

“Ethan de Groot we didn’t consider, either, for a similar reason to Josh. He had to pass protocols, but he also had a bit of an issue with his knee, and we just felt another week would be good for him.

“We think Pete’s been excellent for us, great impact, so we’re excited about what he can bring. Then, we’ve got a similar type of impact player on the bench in Wallace. It’s a good team; we’re very happy.”