The All Blacks have suffered another blow with a last minute change in players ahead of next week's Test in South Africa, the national team have confirmed on social media.
Prop Ethan de Groot has been ruled out of the two Rugby Championship tests in South Africa due to a neck injury. As a result, De Groot, 26, will remain behind to "continue his rehabilitation in New Zealand".
George Bower, 32, will join the squad as his replacement.
The All Blacks were hit by a bombshell on Thursday, with assistant coach Leon MacDonald stepping down after differences of opinion with head coach Scott Robertson.
Patrick Tuipulotu and Stephen Perofeta had earlier been ruled out of the South Africa trip due to calf injuries.
Lock Tuipulotu and fullback Perofeta missed the two recent Tests against Argentina due to their injuries, with Josh Lord and Harry Plummer their respective replacements for Johannesburg a week on Sunday and Cape Town a week later.
De Groot was taken off the field nearly one hour into the August 10 test against Argentina in Wellington, which the ABs lost 38-30.
He did not feature against the same opposition a week later, when the All Blacks took a 42-10 revenge.
Bower, who was not initially part of the original squad to tour South Africa, played the first of his 21 Tests in 2021. He also missed most of 2023 after sustaining a serious knee injury.
The 1.83m and 115kg prop ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while playing for the Crusaders and needed surgery to reconstruct the ligament.
The All Blacks — currently third in the current World Rankings, with 88.71 points — are meeting the South African Springboks twice, on September 1 in Johannesburg and a week later in Cape Town.
The Springboks are sitting in first place with 93.11 points, with the Irish in second place with 92.12 points.
The 36-man squad travelling to South Africa:
Hookers: Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes / Wellington), Codie Taylor (Crusaders / Canterbury), George Bell (Crusaders / Canterbury).
Props: George Bower (Crusaders / Otago), Tyrel Lomax (Hurricanes / Tasman), Fletcher Newell (Crusaders / Canterbury), Pasilio Tosi (Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty), Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Blues / Northland), Tamaiti Williams (Crusaders / Canterbury)
Locks: Scott Barrett (Crusaders / Taranaki) (captain), Sam Darry (Blues / Canterbury), Josh Lord (Chiefs / Taranaki), Tupou Vaa’i (Chiefs / Taranaki)
Loose forwards: Ethan Blackadder (Crusaders / Tasman), Sam Cane (Chiefs / Bay of Plenty), Samipeni Finau (Chiefs / Waikato), Luke Jacobson (Chiefs / Waikato), Dalton Papali’i (Blues / Counties Manukau), Ardie Savea (Moana Pasifika / Wellington) (vice captain), Wallace Sititi (Chiefs / North Harbour)
Halfbacks: Noah Hotham (Crusaders / Tasman), TJ Perenara (Hurricanes / Wellington), Cortez Ratima (Chiefs / Waikato)
First five-eighths: Beauden Barrett (Blues / Taranaki), Damian McKenzie (Chiefs / Waikato)
Midfielders: Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes / Taranaki) (vice captain), David Havili (Crusaders / Tasman), Rieko Ioane (Blues / Auckland), Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs / Waikato), Billy Proctor (Hurricanes / Wellington)
Outside backs: Caleb Clarke (Blues / Auckland), Will Jordan (Crusaders / Tasman), Ruben Love (Hurricanes / Wellington), Harry Plummer (Blues / Auckland), Sevu Reece (Crusaders / Southland), Mark Tele’a (Blues / North Harbour)
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