WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has unveiled an expanded 44-player roster for an upcoming grueling eight-match tour that features a four-test showdown against world number one and defending Rugby World Cup champion South Africa Springboks, bringing a return to the classic multi-match touring format that defined rugby before the professional era.
Rennie added 10 new players to the original 34-strong Nations Championship squad, retaining every member of the group that notched test victories over France, Italy and Ireland earlier this year to bulk up the roster for the demanding schedule. Three rookie players earn their first call-up to the senior national side: Hurricanes prop Siale Lauaki, Moana Pasifika backrower Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa and Chiefs flyhalf Josh Jacomb. The other seven additions to the touring group are prop Ollie Norris, hooker George Bell, lock Fabian Holland, backrower Ethan Blackadder, centers Timoci Tavatavanawai and Rieko Ioane, and winger Emoni Narawa.
The tour, which kicks off next month, will see the All Blacks play four non-test matches against South Africa’s top domestic franchises alongside four tests: three in South Africa and one final test in Baltimore, United States. The full schedule opens with a clash against the Stormers in Cape Town on August 8, followed by matches against the Sharks in Durban (August 12), Bulls in Pretoria (August 16), the first test against the Springboks in Johannesburg (August 23), a match against the Lions in Johannesburg (August 26), a second test in Cape Town (August 30), a third test in Johannesburg (September 6), and the final test in Baltimore on September 13.
This tour revives the traditional pre-professional model of rugby touring, which combined both weekend test matches and midweek franchise fixtures — a structure that was common before rugby union turned professional in 1995. Billed as a renewal of rugby’s most storied and intense rivalry, the series pits the world’s top two ranked men’s teams against one another: the Springboks hold the number one world ranking, while the All Blacks sit close behind at number two.
With eight matches crammed into just six weeks of travel and competition, Rennie admitted this will go down as one of the most challenging tours in modern rugby history. “This tour will challenge us and demand the very best of us,” Rennie told reporters. “We have selected a squad that we know is up to the challenge. 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.”
He added that the coaching staff is excited to give young prospects the chance to earn their first senior caps, while welcoming back players who had previously been out of the national squad fold.
Historically, the All Blacks have struggled to win a test series on South African soil: the only New Zealand side to claim a series win in South Africa was the 1996 tour, after five unsuccessful attempts across the 20th century. Across 110 test meetings between the two nations, New Zealand holds the edge with 63 wins to South Africa’s 43, alongside four drawn matches.
“This would have to be the toughest tour in rugby,” Rennie said. “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.”
On the leadership front, Ardie Savea will retain the captaincy for all four test matches, but will not join the squad in South Africa until shortly before the first test. Rennie explained that the decision to give Savea an extended break comes after the skipper carried a heavy playing workload over the past two years, and the rest will leave him fresh to lead the side through the test series. Other senior squad members will step in to captain the side for the four non-test franchise matches, with multiple leaders set to get an opportunity to take charge.