An All Blacks announcement which featured good and unexpected news for new boys Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, Siale Lauaki and Josh Jacomb, also featured some pretty good news for the most experienced of the lot – Beauden Barrett – who is set to start the first game on the side’s epic tour of South Africa.
Barrett, who has played 144 Tests, has had no match-day involvement in Dave Rennie’s first three Tests as head coach, a stretch Rennie admitted the 35-year-old would have found “tough”.
But – after training well during all of July and not playing a part in the victories over France, Italy and Ireland – Barrett has a carrot almost within reach: A start in the No.10 jersey against the Stormers in Cape Town on August 8 NZT.
“I’ve said it before, Beauden has really impressed me,” Rennie said after announcing his squad of 44 for the tour of South Africa. “He’s trained superbly – his contribution has been excellent. Very professional, he’s been incredibly supportive of Ruben [Love].
“It’s tough for him because he’s probably trained well enough to get an opportunity, but we’ve felt Ruben needed time in the seat and he’s done a really good job there. Beauden will get his opportunity against the Stormers which is exciting – he’s keen to rip in.”
The uncapped Jacomb is the fourth first-five on tour (although, the third, Damian McKenzie, is now seen as more of a fullback by Rennie) and gets his opportunity due to the ineligibility of Richie Mo’unga, who will play for Canterbury against Auckland on Saturday.
Mo’unga’s ineligibility for this tour after his three years in Japan remains a curiosity given Rennie lobbied hard for him to go and the fact he will play a key role in next year’s World Cup. However, Mo'unga will be on standby in case of injury and the one silver lining is continued development of Chiefs player Jacomb, 23.
Jacomb, loose forward Tupou Ta’eiloa and prop Lauaki, meanwhile, were all in a state of shock after Rennie rang them on Sunday to give them the good news. The confusion extended to the recalled Ethan Blackadder, the Crusaders loose forward saying he thought manager Paul McLaughlan had called him by mistake.
Also recalled were midfielder Timoci Tavatavanawai, prop Ollie Norris, hooker George Bell, lock Fabian Holland and wings Rieko Ioane and Emoni Narawa.
There is size in big loosie Tupou Ta’eiloa, prop Lauaki, Tavatavanawai and Holland and potential for the future, too, as Rennie explained.
“It’s a lot to do with who we’re playing over the next six or seven weeks and also an eye to the future,” he said. “There are some guys we want to find out more about to work out whether they’re genuine options heading into a World Cup year next year.
“We think having them inside the tent where we can create change and they have a chance to impress us will help with that decision making.”
The squad will make their way to South Africa in three groups starting on Thursday.
A window for Savea to 'freshen up'
One important man not on any of the flights is skipper Ardie Savea, who will not arrive in South Africa until August 13 – 10 days before the first Test.
Rennie had signalled that Savea would not play the early matches but the extent of that plan to freshen up a player who has had an enormous recent workload in New Zealand and Japan was not known until now.
“Ardie’s been training and playing since January 2025… we need to find a window where we can freshen him up,” Rennie said. “This seemed the obvious time. It was a pretty simple decision.
“Ardie would plug on but I think it comes to a head at some stage. It’s such a big series – freshening him up before those four Tests is essential. What we could have done is leave him out of the last three and freshen him up that way but it was important to us and him that he play. We think this is a good compromise.”
Hooker Codie Taylor will be the tour captain but will not play the first two matches due to a calf niggle, Rennie said.
“He has a huge amount of respect within this group,” Rennie said of Taylor.
“I think a tour captain will help deal with a hell of a lot of media and scrutiny while we’re over there. It’s not just the 80 minutes on game day.”
All of those in South Africa will get game time over the first three matches against the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls. The All Blacks play the Lions midweek after the first Test in Johannesburg.
For the new players, the experience would be “massive”, Rennie said.
“It will be a bit of a shock. We know the attention over there, the crowds, the altitude will be a new experience for some of the guys. It’s pretty exciting, eh?"
As for predictions for one of the toughest trips in world rugby, Rennie, true to form, preferred to take it week by week.
“We want to win and we want to win each week. We’re playing the best team in the world. It couldn’t come at a better time for us. We’ve had a month together, I think we’ve made good shifts. I think we have an understanding of our DNA and the game we want to play.
"We just need to get better and now we’re going to be tested by a phenomenal side on their home pitch.”
All Blacks squad
(age, Super Rugby Club, province, Test caps):
* denotes new cap
Forwards (25)
Hookers: Asafo Aumua (29 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 22), Codie Taylor (35 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 109), Samisoni Taukei’aho (28 / Chiefs / Waikato / 44), George Bell (24 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 4)
Props: Ethan De Groot (27 / Highlanders / Southland / 43), George Bower (34 / Crusaders / Otago / 26), Xavier Numia (27 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 2), Ollie Norris (26 / Chiefs / Waikato / 3), Tyrel Lomax (30 / Hurricanes / Tasman / 51), Fletcher Newell (26 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 37), Pasilio Tosi (27 / Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty / 17), Siale Lauaki * (23 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 0)
Locks: Tupou Vaa’i (26 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 47), Patrick Tuipulotu (33 / Blues / Auckland / 57), Josh Lord (25 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 15), Sam Darry (26 / Blues / Canterbury / 10), Fabian Holland (23 / Highlanders / Otago / 12)
Loose Forwards: Peter Lakai (23 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 10), Simon Parker (26 / Chiefs / Northland / 8), Ethan Blackadder (31 / Crusaders / Tasman / 14), Luke Jacobson (29 / Chiefs / Waikato / 27), Anton Segner (25 / Blues / Auckland / 2), Ardie Savea (32 / Moana Pasifika / Wellington / 109) (Captain), Wallace Sititi (23 / Chiefs / North Harbour / 21), Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa * (22 / Moana Pasifika / Southland / 0)
Backs (19)
Halfbacks: Cameron Roigard (25 / Hurricanes / Counties Manukau / 20), Cortez Ratima (25 / Chiefs / Waikato / 24), Kyle Preston (26 / Crusaders / Wellington / 1)
First Five-Eighths: Ruben Love (25 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 8), Beauden Barrett (35 / Blues / Taranaki / 144), Damian McKenzie (31 / Chiefs / Waikato / 77), Josh Jacomb * (25 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 0)
Midfielders: Jordie Barrett (29 / Hurricanes / Taranaki / 81), Quinn Tupaea (27 / Chiefs / Waikato / 26), Billy Proctor (27 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 13), Anton Lienert-Brown (31 / Chiefs / Waikato / 90), Timoci Tavatavanawai (28 / Highlanders / Tasman / 2)
Outside Backs: Caleb Clarke (27 / Blues / Auckland / 35), Fehi Fineanganofo (23 / Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty / 1), Leroy Carter (27 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty / 7), Josh Moorby (28 / Hurricanes / Waikato / 2), Will Jordan (28 / Crusaders / Tasman / 57), Rieko Ioane (29 / Blues / Auckland / 88), Emoni Narawa (27 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty / 4)
Unavailable due to injury: Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett and Leicester Fainga’anuku.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Fixtures
(all times NZT)
Saturday 8 August, 5:00am: All Blacks v Stormers, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Wednesday 12 August, 5:00am: All Blacks v Sharks, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Sunday 16 August, 5:00am: All Blacks v Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Sunday 23 August, 3:00am: All Blacks v Springboks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg (first Test)
Wednesday 26 August, 5:00am: All Blacks v Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Sunday 30 August, 3:00am: All Blacks v Springboks, DHL Stadium, Cape Town (second Test)
Sunday 6 September, 3:00am: All Blacks v Springboks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg (third Test)
Sunday 13 September, 3:05am: All Blacks v Springboks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (fourth Test).
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