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International

Four All Blacks stars make timely return to lineup for first Springboks Test

Ned Lester

Published: 20 August 2026 03:00 PDT
Updated: 20 August 2026 01:19 PDT

Cam Roigard of New Zealand runs in to score a try during the Nations Championship match between New Zealand All Blacks and Italy at Hnry Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Nations Championship via Getty Images)

The injury clouds hanging over star All Blacks Cam Roigard, Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie have been quelled ahead of the first Test in the Greatest Rivalry series, with both outside backs named in Dave Rennie’s team to play the Springboks in Johannesburg.

For Roigard, Saturday’s Test will be just his second against the Springboks, having only faced the world champions off the bench in a warm-up game ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

The team naming has also confirmed the return of New Zealand captain Ardie Savea, who was a late arrival on tour due to rest, but will be injected straight back into the starting line-up at No.8. Savea joins hooker Codie Taylor in playing his 110th Test for the All Blacks.

VIDEO

Also named in the starting forward pack are Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax up front, Josh lord and Fabian Holland in the second row, and Tupou Vaa’i and Luke Jacobson in the loose forwards.

In the backline, Ruben Love joins Roigard in the halves, with a midfield duo of Jordie Barrett and Quinn Tupaea looking to continue their evolving partnership. Josh Moorby joins McKenzie and Jordan in the back three, in what will be his first game against South Africa.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

Draws

Wins

Average Points scored

First try wins

40%

Home team wins

60%

Also making their first appearances against the Boks, but off the bench, will be rising loose forward stars Anton Segner and Peter Lakai. The duo join Asafo Aumua, George Bower and Fletcher Newell as forward reserves, while Kyle Preston, Anton Lienert-Brown and Leroy Carter have all won the race to the final matchday team selections as back replacements.

“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.

“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.”

All Blacks team to play the Springboks

Ethan de Groot (43)
Codie Taylor (109)
Tyrel Lomax (51)
Josh Lord (15)
Fabian Holland (12)
Tupou Vaa’i (47)
Luke Jacobson (27)
Ardie Savea (109) – Captain
Cam Roigard (20)
Ruben Love (8)
Josh Moorby (2)
Jordie Barrett (81)
Quinn Tupaea (26)
Will Jordan (57)
Damian McKenzie (77)

Reserves

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)

Comments

109 Comments

Dean 44 days ago

Great Team lists, so many incredible players. I don’t think the NZ pack will be able to cope against the SA pack. If they can, what a match we are in for.

Blackmania 44 days ago

The choice of Lord and Holland makes perfect sense to me. Rennie has selected the two most mobile and technically gifted locks, and the two who are the biggest threats at lineout contests. They want to disrupt all of the Boks’ lineouts.

The plan is clearly to move the ball and shift the point of attack as much as possible, using every player to help achieve that.

BigMack 45 days ago

As I just mentioned on another site…no ABs bench lock really worries me - no fresh grunt behind replacement front row in 2nd half.

Seems like madness to me. Very worried for our second half scrum.

JW 45 days ago

Players I hope have a good game at this level, for their and the teams chances in 2027.

Tupaea - whether he plays 12 or 13 their are doubts about his physicality working against allcomers.

Lakai - can he find himself in the right place to use his speed and skills giving his relatively one dimensional style and propensity to get outmuscled. Basically does he have the standard to do what Savea did in 2019 (and earlier) off the bench or as a starting 7.

EDG Lomax - The Prime Beef of the All Black tight five, they’ve done it before but a 4 test series (and indeed this first game as a one off) will test whether they can be the real deal as world leading and best of all time worthy (which a team needs to win a WC) props?

The rest are class (I wouldn’t be reading into their performance too much either way), or either have replacements inbound or are in a depth position they have not yet shown indication that they can stand out from, so it’s no bother whether they can in the weekend. Someone else will get a go if not. Those four (and the other four or five), are key going forward though.

BM 45 days ago

It is a good team. I prefer Jordan at fullback, {worlds best} Reiko Ioane on wing {now a mature top class player} with McKenzie as reserve 1st 5/8. I’m holding my thoughts on Savea as Capt.

Bruiser 44 days ago

Jordans tries per game is almost double when he plays wing compared to FB. Rens has got this right

JW 45 days ago

Lets hope this team can go better now they’re playing a style theyre used to.

Bruiser 45 days ago

Solid starting 15. Only question would be Lord….does he bring enough ballast in the scrum? They will have had plenty of scrumming practice against each other, so Ill trust JR on this call. The back replacements are conservative choices. Narawa and Fehe bring way more x factor and Narawa covers multiple positions. Darry, Wallace , Fehe, Narawa and Numia must surely get a run at some point

PickOllieMathisOrKeepLosing,Rob. 45 days ago

I know they cant pick ameveryone but harsh on darry.

GS 45 days ago

Surprised no Darry and think that might be a mistake. I would also have with a 6 two bench and selected Ioane over ALB/Carter.

Maybe they did this to cover McKenzie and Jordan, as potentially both carrying injuries and need the coverage in case they go down?

All up to Lomax in lot’s of ways, if he can lock down the scrum, ABs in with a good chance otherwise I would guess 12 plus to the Boks.

Bruiser 45 days ago

Ioane or Narawa would be a gerat option. ALB gives away stupid penalties and is past his best

Hammer Head 45 days ago

The bench is pretty good methinks.

The Ardie experiment is either going to turn out to be an inspired decision or not. I would have played him off the bench given he’s coming off a break. And Lakai has down more than enough to start at 8.

But this isn’t an ordinary occasion Ardie does bring something intangible too the ABs. Hope he lives up to expectations as the player/captain.

Blackmania 45 days ago

Well… there certainly are a lot of pessimistic comments.

It’s true that we must all be more competent than Rennie, Henry, Barnes, Blair, Umaga, Ryan and Ellison!

Of course!

I’ll just remind everyone of one thing… look at the team selections for the last RWC final.

A classic 5/3 bench for the All Blacks, compared with a 7/1 split for the Boks.

The All Blacks played with 14 men for almost the entire match, and did we see the Boks overwhelm the All Blacks in the second half? Well, no.

Besides, we shouldn’t attach too much importance to what happened in Wellington last year. I think it was an anomaly, and it in no way represents what the All Blacks are under Rennie. Not at all…

The match is going to be extremely tough, and the All Blacks will try to break the Boks’ engine.

Maybe it will be the All Blacks’ engine that breaks first… but I’m predicting one hell of a match and a great performance from the All Blacks.

JW 44 days ago

and did we see the Boks overwhelm the All Blacks in the second half?

I think you’re asking the wrong question, better ones would be “did ALB playing the last 10, or Dmac playing 6 minutes, help those 14 men compete for 80?” or “did having an extra back help get on top of SA at the end?”

I think it was an anomaly

For South Africa, yes. Not for this group of All Blacks though.

For 20 at least, I’d be happy with anything more than that.

cnw 45 days ago

Agree I am negative BM - but Rennie was meant to be innovative - take us to another level. But he has done nothing different fron Razor with this selection mix except pick two flankers instead of a lock / flanker combination. He has also done what Razor did and gone with completely untested tight five combinations against the most powerful scrummaging units in the world. Now this is a better team than Wellington for sure - but this team was supposed to take us on a new trajectory. Going 6-2 is about having confidence in a game plan that beats the Boks with our DNA - look at the Canes they regularly went 6-2 this year not to match power - but to blow it away. And be truthful BM how would have you felt with this bench:

Numia

Aumua

Lomax*

Paddy

Segner

Lakai

Preston

Fehi

We’d be dreaming big rather than crossing our fingers and toes come Sunday morning.

*start with Newell.

HS 45 days ago

We shouldn't attach too much importance to what happened in the last RWC final.

SC 45 days ago

Not selecting a 6-2 bench is going to bite Rennie in the ass in the second half.

Having Darry or Tuipulotu coming on off the bench to provide fresh legs scrummaging would be far more valuable than Carter or any wing.

Looks like Rennie will have to learn the hard way, just as Razor did.

JW 44 days ago

just as Razor did

*Was

Don’t think Razor quite learned enough, but his it was one step forward two steps backward but that was the deal at the start. Everyone accepted it.

BM 45 days ago

Let’s hope the Finance whiz kid learned a lesson from his lack of leadership with the Razor issue and leaves Rennie to manage and run the the Team.

cnw 45 days ago

Agree SC - all this talk of innovation and we get a team Razor would have approved. Even though Rennie relies heavily on flankers and centres to do the hard yards - why not muscle up 6-2 and have Darry / Paddy and Rieko on the bench alongside Segner and Lakai. I am assuming Numia injured otherwise and Roigard, Jordan and or DMcK carrying injuries into game - its the only reason for that combination of bench players.

TokoRFC 45 days ago

It might be to do with the Lions game on Tuesday will need at least two locks and Parker in reserve?

But I agree, it does mean the bench here looks a bit of a mish mosh though. We might see 6-2 in the third test then? My ideal bench is:

Aumua

Lomax

Numia

Paddy T

Lakai

Segner*

Preston

Narawa**

*looks like they see Segner as suited to Jacobsons 7 role and Lakai and Sititi are 6/8 cover so it’s one or the other with them

**Im biased here I know, ioane must be close but his high ball work lets him down.

SC 45 days ago

Josh Lord’s selection over Sam Darry is a surprise as Darry has been the most physical All Black lock with the highest work rate in July and August.

George Bower’s selection is likely due to Xavier Numia having an injury as he was pulled early from Bulls match. Bower can scrummage well but lose Numia’s ball carrying.

Lou Cifer 45 days ago

Surprised to not see a reserve lock on the bench, so I guess Vaa’i will move to lock at some point & do the full 80 when the loosies come on. Bower to me on the bench is a weak link….guess we’ll know Saturday night if that is the case.

Lets FAAAARKEN go!!!

SC 45 days ago

Bower is a very good scrummager at loosehead. Does not give much more but against the Springboks, a solid scrum and maul defence is enough from your props.

Bazzallina 45 days ago

Well Renz beat Rassie to the punch, will this give the maestro a second thought or 2 on his team? obviously ABs going to look for turnovers as the game goes on does he react to this ? or does he just roll on anyhow ..

JW 44 days ago

Stop it Baz shakes him you’re turning into a South African, get away from the forums for a bit.

B 45 days ago

A solid starting AB’s First XV with a solid 5-3 impact bench backing them up…

Go the AB’s…Discipline, Accuracy with Attitude…Smarter not Harder…Game On..

Blackmania 45 days ago

I’m already seeing a lot of pessimism… I remain confident.

I think Rennie and his coaching staff know what they’re doing.

They want to suffocate the Boks forwards with a fast-paced game. If the Boks run out of fuel, they’ll struggle too and will be less dominant at set piece, which is one of their main strengths.

We’ll see… we’ll have our answers on Saturday night.

Bruiser 45 days ago

Its not pessisism, its passion. I think most of us are only debating one or two selections. 90% happy and we have a great coaching staff

RugCs 45 days ago

Big ifs there. This Bok team is younger, fitter, physically stronger than the team that ran NZ off their feet in Wellington.

GrahamVF 45 days ago

Bm not selecting lock cover in a 5/3 split really smacks of having no hope of matching the Boks at forward. I really don’t think going into the last 20 with a makeshift and tiring tight five is a smart call. I may well have to eat my words and I will do so with good grace, but to me it’s like tipping a 25 to one to win the Melbourne Cup. If it happens you’re a genius if it doesn’t you look like a real chump. No middle ground.

unknown 45 days ago

Clearly Numia didn't recover sufficiently from whatever ailed him in that Bulls game, otherwise pretty predictable. Feel for Darry but Holland will go all out for 80 and Lord has as much x factor as a lock can have. An extra lock with a 6-2 would've played into the Boks hands; that's their game, not ours.

JW 45 days ago

You don’t think Bower was picked on form?

cnw 45 days ago

Heres the thing - we rely on high intensity rugby, but first we must get and retain the ball. We must therefore have parity at the set piece (scrum, lineout, maul) for the full 80. The choice then is not simply between 5-3 and 6-2 but between a mix of forwards that can maintain both intensity and set piece parity. Darry has

the best numbers of the locks and in effect plays like a 2.03 flanker. He has done everything asked of him. And we have a lock in Holland who has not played a full game in 8 months. As good as he is, he wont last - so we are subbing him off for a flanker - now Segner is not a bad lineout option, but he is nothing on Darry, while Darry has both good tackle and carry numbers. Moreover he has the mass to combat the energy the Boks will generate at the set piece. And now we come to 6-2 - its not that we want to beat the Boks at their game - we want to play full throttle for 80 and have Darry, Segner and Lakai off the bench. And why ALB and Carter if Rieko covers both positions. My only guess is that Jordan, DMck and Roigard are carrying injuries into the game.

RugCs 45 days ago

Rassie is now in your head because he has gone with a 5/3 split looking to run the NZ heavies off their feet.

GrahamVF 45 days ago

Not so sure about that uk. Love to see 100kg flanks defending the Bok maul and their scrum in the last 20 minutes, and what happens if a lock goes down early? And on top of that the locks have to keep something in reserve - they can’t empty the tank in the first half like the Bok locks can - so they won’t be playing at their physical limit for most of the game. I think it is a daft call, especially if the locks are going to run east west east west for 20 phases and then have to scrum on a knock on.

I may well have to eat a lot of humble pie and if that is so I will do so with good grace and have a much better insight into my knowledge of human physiology.

Bazzallina 45 days ago

Think you might be bang on about Numia tight calf I think it was bit gutted for him as I been waiting to see what he can do hopefully he is right for rest of tour but Georgie has been playing good snd to likeable to not like seeing him get a go

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