A 44-strong All Blacks squad has been named to travel to South Africa and the United States for the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour.
All Blacks Head Coach Dave Rennie and fellow selectors, Sir Graham Henry and Neil Barnes, have retained all 34 players from the initial Nations Championship Southern Series squad and named an additional ten players, including three debutants, to bolster the group for the seven-week tour.
Prop Siale Lauaki, loose forward Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa and inside back Josh Jacomb are the three uncapped players to join the group. They are joined by returning All Blacks Ollie Norris, George Bell, Fabian Holland, Ethan Blackadder, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Rieko Ioane and Emoni Narawa.
Rennie congratulated the selected players and said all 44 would be required to play in the tour.
“This tour will challenge us and demand the very best of us. We have selected a squad that we know is up to the challenge,” he told allblacks.com.
“It’s a balanced blend of experienced Test players and a cohort of younger players who will be keen to work hard and showcase their skillset on tour.
“We are thrilled for those players who will have the opportunity to pull on the All Blacks jersey for the first time, and welcome back those who are returning to the group.
“With eight matches in six weeks, including a four-Test series against the Springboks, this would have to be the toughest tour in rugby. Every player will be required to play their part across this tour, whether it’s preparing to play or helping their mates prepare.
“It will be an intense seven weeks of touring but an excellent opportunity for us to pit ourselves against the current benchmark team in world rugby, and to build connections with each other in a way that only a tour of this scale can do. What we learn about ourselves on and off-field will set us up well for the Rugby World Cup in 2027.
“The franchise games will provide an opportunity for other leaders in the group to step in as Captain, before Ardie Savea arrives in South Africa ahead of the first Test match. Ardie has carried a massive workload in the last couple of years and we think it is best for him to have an extended break so he can come back ready to lead us into the Test series. We have a number of excellent leaders in our squad who will embrace the chance to captain the side.”
New Zealand Rugby CEO, Steve Lancaster, said this would be a landmark tour for both rugby-mad nations and a generation of rugby fans.
“This is the next chapter in one of our sport’s defining rivalries,” said Lancaster.
“It is our first full-scale, old-style tour in 30 years – since ‘The Incomparables’ led by Sean Fitzpatrick pulled off the All Blacks’ first series win in South Africa in 1996,” Lancaster said.
“Fans from both nations and around the world have embraced the concept with around 3,000 fans expected to travel for the tour – the majority from New Zealand. We already can’t wait to host the next iteration in 2030 when South Africa embark on their first professional-era tour of New Zealand.”
All Blacks squad for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour
Hookers
Asafo Aumua
Codie Taylor
Samisoni Taukei’aho
George Bell
Props
Ethan De Groot
George Bower
Xavier Numia
Ollie Norris
Tyrel Lomax
Fletcher Newell
Pasilio Tosi
Siale Lauaki
Locks
Tupou Vaa’i
Patrick Tuipulotu
Josh Lord
Sam Darry
Fabian Holland
Loose Forwards
Peter Lakai
Simon Parker
Ethan Blackadder
Luke Jacobson
Anton Segner
Ardie Savea (C)
Wallace Sititi
Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa
Scrumhalves
Cameron Roigard
Cortez Ratima
Kyle Preston
Flyhalves
Ruben Love
Beauden Barrett
Damian McKenzie
Josh Jacomb
Midfielders
Jordie Barrett
Quinn Tupaea
Billy Proctor
Anton Lienert-Brown
Timoci Tavatavanawai
Outside Backs
Caleb Clarke
Fehi Fineanganofo
Leroy Carter
Josh Moorby
Will Jordan
Rieko Ioane
Emoni Narawa
