Ahead of the second test of a four-match series between New Zealand’s All Blacks XV and South Africa’s Springboks at Cape Town Stadium this weekend, the All Blacks have unveiled three significant adjustments to their starting lineup, including a tactical swap that sees promising winger Leroy Carter step into the starting left wing position.
Carter’s promotion comes after Josh Moorby, who scored the All Blacks’ second try in last Saturday’s opening test at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park, was dropped to the reserve bench. That opening match ended in a 33-16 win for New Zealand over the world-champion Springboks, putting the All Blacks in a strong position to secure at least a share of the series with a second victory this weekend.
Two of the All Blacks’ changes are enforced, rather than tactical, after starting loosehead prop Ethan de Groot and lock Josh Lord collided heads while executing a double tackle in the first test. Both players are unavailable for selection for Saturday’s match, opening starting spots for George Bower and Tupou Vaa’i respectively. Bower, who delivered a strong impact performance coming off the bench in the opening test, will make his first test start since 2022. His addition is expected to strengthen the All Blacks’ scrum, which was consistently pushed back by South African front row pressure in the first test. Vaa’i’s shift into the starting lock spot created a vacancy at blindside flank, which will be filled by Simon Parker. Two new players, prop Xavier Numia and lock Patrick Tuipulotu, have been added to the matchday reserve squad to round out the All Blacks’ adjustments.
South Africa has already announced its own adjusted starting lineup, with four changes headlined by the return of captain Siya Kolisi to the run-on side following a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for the first test.
In a last-minute officiating adjustment, referees Angus Gardner and Nika Amashukeli have swapped assignments for the remaining tests in the series. Amashukeli was originally scheduled to referee Saturday’s second test, but has not yet recovered from an illness. Gardner, who was originally set to lead officiating for the third test in Johannesburg, will now take over Saturday’s match, while Amashukeli will step into Gardner’s original role for the third Johannesburg test. Gardner most recently oversaw the All Blacks’ narrow 41-35 win over the Lions in a midweek match on Tuesday, giving him recent on-field experience with the New Zealand side ahead of this weekend’s test.