{"id":547706,"date":"2026-07-28T10:44:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T10:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/547706\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T10:44:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T10:44:26","slug":"all-blacks-squad-5-takeaways-as-dave-rennie-bulks-up-for-springboks-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/547706\/","title":{"rendered":"All Blacks squad: 5 takeaways as Dave Rennie ‘bulks up’ for Springboks showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following the announcement of Dave Rennie\u2019s 44-man squad for the Greatest Rivalry Series tour to South Africa<\/a>, here are our five takeaways from his selections.<\/p>\n

Top line<\/p>\n

The hype for the All Blacks<\/a>\u2018 arrival in South Africa was turned up a few notches on Monday with Rennie releasing the 44 names that will board the long-haul flights to the tip of the African continent.<\/p>\n

After disclosing the list, the head coach revealed that he and his staff had selected this squad several weeks ago and have already pencilled in the first four teamsheets, including that for the Test series opener at the iconic Ellis Park. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the 34 players selected for the Nations Championship<\/a> matches in New Zealand were retained in the squad with 10 further players included.<\/p>\n

The three uncapped players \u2013 Siale Lauaki, Semisi Tupou Ta\u2019eiloa and Josh Jacomb \u2013 were the headline inclusions, but they were accompanied by recalls for Rieko Ioane, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Emoni Narawa, Ethan Blackadder, George Bell and Ollie Norris.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, it was confirmed that while Ardie Savea will captain the All Blacks, he will miss the opening matches in South Africa<\/a> as he has been given some time to recover and step away from the game, having played and trained non-stop since January last year.<\/p>\n

He will only arrive in South Africa 10 days before the first Test against the Springboks, with veteran hooker Codie Taylor taking over the tour captaincy duties in his absence. Much like his Springboks counterpart, Rassie Erasmus, Rennie<\/a> has selected a squad brimming with experienced veterans while sprinkling in a dash of inexperience and youth as well as a proper bolter.<\/p>\n

All Blacks squad: Dave Rennie names three uncapped players for Greatest Rivalry series as key men make timely returns<\/a><\/p>\n

All Blacks bulk up, size matters<\/p>\n

The adage of rugby being a game for all shapes and sizes remains true in the modern game, particularly after the law changes around escorts, but it\u2019s plainly obvious that Rennie is well aware of the challenge that awaits his charges up front. The Springboks boast two to three forward packs that could dominate or at the very least challenge any other eight in the world, not only through their power and size but athleticism and technique too.<\/p>\n

For the All Blacks to be successful in the Republic, they not only need big-bodied athletes up front but hard-working ones too, and Rennie has ensured that he won\u2019t be short on any of those fronts when they arrive.<\/p>\n

Tamaiti Williams and Scott Barrett\u2019s absences are sorely felt, but the return of 2026 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year, Fabian Holland, is a huge boost to the lock and back-row stocks. While the Highlanders star is an out-and-out second rower, his return to fitness will give the coaching staff more license to deploy Tupou Vaa\u2019i on the side of the scrum, especially after Sam Darry, Josh Lord and Patrick Tuipulotu enjoyed standout shifts in July.<\/p>\n

The All Blacks\u2019 back-row has lacked a bit of tonnage since Shannon Frizell\u2019s departure to Japan, and while Vaa\u2019i has been viewed as a genuine option in the number six jersey, there hasn\u2019t always been the lock stocks available to trial him there consistently. Playing a shorter, less bulky loose trio is manageable against several other top nations, but it does make fronting the Boks all the more difficult.<\/p>\n

Standing at 1.85m tall and weighing 133kgs, the uncapped Tupou Ta\u2019eiloa is a tank of a player and one that proved in Super Rugby that he can dominate contact whether that is on defence or with ball in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t got that big, powerful loose forward like him, and he\u2019s really destructive defensively, and he carried Moana on his back a lot this year, so we think he has a point of difference as well<\/a>,\u201d Rennie said of the uncapped loose forward.<\/p>\n

Winning the gain-line is made all the more easier when you have a wrecking ball like Tupou Ta\u2019eiloa, and Rennie has recognised that in his selection.<\/p>\n

He also gets the nod ahead of Hurricanes co-captain Du\u2019Plessis Kirifi, a player many expected to crack the nod for the tour despite missing the home Tests in July. Rennie explained that there is plenty of cover in the squad for the openside flanker position, but it\u2019s worth noting that at 1.81m and 103kgs, Kirifi is hardly the biggest loose forward around \u2013 that would have counted against him too.<\/p>\n

Matt Williams: The \u2018only nation\u2019 who can match Springboks\u2019 strength and \u2018snatch\u2019 the World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

Ethan Blackadder (1.90m and 111kgs) will board a plane to South Africa and gives Rennie options across the loose trio, something else that would have counted against Kirifi with the Crusaders man also managing to keep himself fit for the latter stages of the Super Rugby season \u2013 which has been the real stumbling block in his career.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the back-five forward department where the All Blacks have added some bulk, with Tavatavanawai being a real threat from the midfield while bolter prop Siale Lauaki is a serious unit too.<\/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

Dave Rennie embraces versatility and plans to experiment<\/p>\n

It\u2019s plainly obvious that while Rennie will be out to win all the matches in the series, he is still leaving room to experiment, test combinations and the depth of his player pool.<\/p>\n

Vaa\u2019i got minutes against Italy and Ireland on the side of the scrum with relative success, whilst the Cam Roigard-Ruben Love halfback combination was given a chance to flourish at the highest level throughout July. We are bound to see those trialled again in South Africa, but the head coach has also revealed plans to deploy a forwards-heavy bench too, with a 6-2 split slated to feature against at least one of the URC teams.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s perhaps why there are more versatile backs who have also made the cut. Rennie is gambling on just three scrum-halves, with Cortez Ratima and Kyle Preston in need of game time, with Leroy Carter being pencilled in as the fourth-choice number nine \u2013 a role he is bound to perform in training and possibly from the bench.<\/p>\n

All Blacks squad: Winners and losers as Rugby World Cup winner \u2018rewarded\u2019 while back-row star\u2019s omission one of \u2018the biggest shocks\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Narawa returns to the squad and has been tipped by Rennie to play 13, 14 and 15 while Ioane has been selected primarily as a winger but is seen as an option in the midfield too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving versatility on a tour like this is important,\u201d the head coach said, but it also makes a difference when it comes down to selecting a matchday 23 or even a World Cup squad.<\/p>\n

The tour is the ideal opportunity for Rennie to tinker with his team, tactics and selections as he builds his knowledge of what he has to work with heading into Australia 2027.<\/p>\n

Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n

A proper bolter<\/p>\n

While much of the squad was largely predictable, few would have tipped Siale Lauaki to make the cut. Reports of Tupou Ta\u2019eiloa\u2019s inclusion surfaced last week, spoiling the surprise bolter element of that selection, but being the Hurricanes\u2019 third-choice tighthead hardly screamed inclusion for Lauaki.<\/p>\n

But to borrow Rennie\u2019s \u2018point of difference\u2019 line, the 22-year-old has the added bonus of being capable of playing on both sides of the scrum, which has bolstered his chances. An aggressive and physical presence around the park, Lauaki has the opportunity to really stamp his mark on the squad in South Africa, where he will be put through the ultimate litmus test of his scrummaging capabilities. Not only on the pitch but in training too.<\/p>\n

Williams and George Bower have also played on both sides of the scrum for the Crusaders, and with the former sidelined for the tour, Jason Ryan is clearly keen to unearth another swing prop \u2013 a rare breed in the modern era and players who are worth their weight in gold and some.<\/p>\n

Whether he gets a chance to face the Springboks or not, this tour is a huge opportunity for Lauaki to impress the coaching team and stake his claim for selection further down the line.<\/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

An eye to the Rugby World Cup<\/p>\n

He is not alone in that regard, as Rennie admitted that the coaching team will be using the tour to work out whether some players are \u2018genuine options heading into the World Cup next year\u2019 or not.<\/p>\n

The tour is a similar length to the tournament next year in Australia, and the two coaching teams will surely be implementing similar training schedules and setting similar demands on the players.<\/p>\n

While most will focus on the uncapped and inexperienced players, Rennie will also be getting answers on several veterans. For example, Beauden Barrett will make his first appearance for the All Blacks against the Stormers in Cape Town. The head coach has hailed his contributions off the pitch in July, but he will want to get answers on whether he is still up for the demands of the international game and everything that comes with it.<\/p>\n

Barrett is a true great of the All Blacks but it\u2019s completely unfair to say he is being squeezed out by the likes of McKenzie and Love and what happens when Richie Mo\u2019unga returns? The major questions are, is he still capable of performing at the highest level and does he still warrant a spot in the squad? The same could be said, but to a lesser extent, about 35-year-old Taylor, who will assume the tour captaincy in Savea\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n

World Cup squads are no longer just about getting the best-of-the-best that a country has to offer but getting the right players into the mix. This tour gives the coaches a better scope to work with \u2013 more players \u2013 but still with similar challenges that a World Cup poses.<\/p>\n

While this will be a crucial period for uncapped and single-digit Test players like Bell, Norris, Lauaki, Simon Parker, Anton Segner, Tupou Ta\u2019eiloa, Preston, Love, Jacomb, Tavatavanawai, Fehi Fineanganofo, Carter, Josh Moorby and Narawa \u2013 it\u2019s just as important for the stars on the other end of the scale too.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0Springboks 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":"Following the announcement of Dave Rennie\u2019s 44-man squad for the Greatest Rivalry Series tour to South Africa, here…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":547707,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[169306,337,1463,1464,111,43,139,69,1466,213],"class_list":["post-547706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-dave-rennie","tag-features","tag-home-page","tag-internationals","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-south-africa","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/547707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}