{"id":827330,"date":"2026-07-27T17:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/827330\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T17:08:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:08:18","slug":"springboks-v-all-blacks-combined-xv-ardie-savea-joins-south-african-duo-while-world-beating-fly-half-leapfrogs-the-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/827330\/","title":{"rendered":"Springboks v All Blacks combined XV: Ardie Savea joins South African duo while ‘world-beating’ fly-half leapfrogs the competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Starting in August, the Springboks<\/a> will host the All Blacks in a historic four-match Test series across Johannesburg, Cape Town and Baltimore in what has been named Rugby\u2019s Greatest Rivalry tour.<\/p>\n

Here at Planet Rugby, we have selected an early South Africa and New Zealand combined XV, consisting of the very best players of the current era.<\/p>\n

Backs<\/p>\n

15 Damian Willemse: Utterly world-beating against England in the recent Nations Championship<\/a>. His ability to marshal the skies is almost unmatched in world rugby and he will prove a nightmare for the All Blacks if he is afforded space in attack. Damian McKenzie was the other serious option at full-back, but Willemse\u2019s aerial strength edges it in this battle.<\/p>\n

14 Will Jordan: Now the All Blacks\u2019 all-time top Test try scorer, he sits at the top of a very exclusive list. If the All Blacks are to threaten the world champs, then Jordan will need to be a key part of it. The Springboks have plenty of wing options, such as Canan Moody, Edwill van der Merwe and Kurt-Lee Arendse. They all boast impressive strike rates, but none quite as impressive as Jordan.<\/p>\n

13 Jesse Kriel: A leader on the field, Kriel\u2019s stock keeps rising with each showing. This month he proved that he is so much more than his defensive work, crossing the line in each of his three outings, including a try against Scotland which proved vital to the eventual Springbok victory. The All Blacks have struggled to nail down the outside centre position since Rieko Ioane fell out of favour, with Billy Proctor and Quinn Tupaea the most recent options in the 13 shirt.<\/p>\n

12 Jordie Barrett: His transition to the midfield a few years ago has proved highly successful and he is now arguably the greatest 12 in the game. His ability to run as a secondary playmaker makes him key to the All Blacks attack, seeing him beat Damien de Allende and Andre Esterhuizen<\/a> to the inside centre spot.<\/p>\n

Dave Rennie has already picked his team for Springboks showdown as All Blacks boss details how travel disruptions have influenced selections<\/a><\/p>\n

11 Cheslin Kolbe: Just one appearance in July but he made it count, scoring 15 points in South Africa\u2019s impressive victory over England. His footwork remains the most elusive in world rugby \u2013 just ask Cadan Murley<\/a>. Caleb Clarke and Leroy Carter have established themselves as fine wingers for the All Blacks, but neither are yet on Kolbe\u2019s level.<\/p>\n

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: It will be a race back to fitness, but it\u2019ll be worth it if South Africa can get their world-beating fly-half back to full strength. At just 24 years old, he is already one of the best number 10s in the game and he will be crucial to unlocking the All Black defence. The All Blacks have recently tested Ruben Love in the number 10 position, while Beauden Barrett has longevity in the side. The Springboks possess Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok, while rookies Vusi Moyo and Quan Horn have had their share of action this month, but SFM still leads the pack.<\/p>\n

9 Cam Roigard: It couldn\u2019t be anyone else. Over the past couple of seasons, Roigard has developed into one of the very best No.9s in the game. He was New Zealand\u2019s key man in the Nations Championship, and will need to take control if they are to challenge the Springboks. South Africa\u2019s Grant Williams and Cobus Reinach are also impressive, but don\u2019t make the same impact on their side that Roigard does for the All Blacks.<\/p>\n

All Blacks omitted as ex-England duo pick Nations Championship team consisting of SEVEN Springbok stars<\/a><\/p>\n

Forwards<\/p>\n

8 Ardie Savea: His ball-carrying abilities are vital to the All Blacks attack, with his dynamism around the park crucial in denting one of the most fearsome back rows in world rugby. He will miss the early stages of the tour after being rested by head coach Dave Rennie, but he is expected to return to the squad for the four-match Test series. Jasper Wiese could feel hard done by for not making this combined side, but Savea is just so important for the All Blacks.<\/p>\n

7 Siya Kolisi: The inspirational leader tends to save his best performances for the national side, so expect him to once again step up against the All Blacks. The visitors have struggled to nail down a consistent openside in recent years, so Kolisi\u2019s inclusion goes otherwise unchallenged.<\/p>\n

6 Pieter-Steph du Toit: The double World Rugby men\u2019s player of the year never has a bad game. His consistency and work rate stand him out as one of the best to have ever taken to the field. The All Blacks do have options in this position, but none challenge the great PSDT.<\/p>\n

5 Ruan Nortje: Again, work rate is his superpower. He gets involved with all facets of the game, but he certainly provides an impressive service in the lineout. This position is up for plenty of debate, with Scott Barrett,<\/a> RG Snyman and many others with their own case to argue, but Nortje\u2019s current form and consistency around the park stand him out.<\/p>\n

Dave Rennie: Why Ardie Savea will arrive late in South Africa and who will be the All Blacks\u2019 stand-in tour captain<\/a><\/p>\n

4 Eben Etzebeth: The natural enforcer, Etzebeth is South Africa\u2019s most capped player ever and he is coming back fired up after sitting out with a long suspension and then a concussion. Despite his advancing age, the 34-year-old was in the form of his life before his suspension and will look to get quickly back to that as he faces up South Africa\u2019s old rival.<\/p>\n

3 Thomas du Toit: The Sharks-bound prop stepped up his game dramatically during his time at Bath, becoming known as one of the best scrummagers in the sport. Often utilised to impact the game off the bench, he has also proven that he can put in a solid 60-minute shift from the start. He\u2019s not short of competition, but none hold a candle to him in terms of form.<\/p>\n

2 Malcolm Marx: The reigning World Rugby player of the year, and with good reason. His two performances in July saw him dominate contact, get on the scoresheet and demonstrate a textbook set-piece performance. Codie Taylor for the All Blacks is also terrific, but just not currently at the same level.<\/p>\n

1 Ox Nche: Another scrummaging star. Nche has been at the top of the world game for quite some time now, but question marks remain about his current fitness. If fully fit, he will be a huge handful for the All Blacks to deal with. Not just impressive in the close contacts, he has almost got hands and footwork that wouldn\u2019t look out of place in the back line. A true multitool of a front rower.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Springboks slammed for \u2018legally correct but morally corrupt\u2019 tactics as outspoken pundit hopes All Blacks will get a \u2018hard referee\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Starting in August, the Springboks will host the All Blacks in a historic four-match Test series across Johannesburg,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":827331,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,1379,818,1182,1736,44,760,1183,85],"class_list":["post-827330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-features","tag-home-page","tag-internationals","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-rugby","tag-south-africa","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=827330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/827331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=827330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=827330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=827330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}