Injury concerns continue to mount for the All Blacks, with head coach Dave Rennie forced to bring in further reinforcements in the form of Ofa Tu\u2019ungafasi and Jamie Hannah.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their inclusions come with both Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord, who are both going through return-to-play protocols after suffering head injuries.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time boss Rennie has had to bolster his squad mid-tour, either, with George Bell, Billy Proctor, Caleb Clark and Ollie Norris forced to return home with tour-ending injuries while Richie Mo\u2019unga, Bradley Slater and Noah Hotham have been added to the extended group.<\/p>\n
All Blacks forced into further squad changes as injuries mount<\/p>\n
\u201cOfa Tu\u2019ungafasi and Jamie Hannah have been called into the All Blacks squad as injury replacements for Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord, while they progress through the World Rugby concussion protocols,\u201d a statement from New Zealand Rugby (NZR) read.<\/p>\n
All Blacks player ratings: \u2018Predatory\u2019 Will Jordan and \u2018outstanding\u2019 Jordie Barrett the linchpins while Dave Rennie \u2018gets it right\u2019 with big calls<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThey will leave New Zealand<\/a> immediately to arrive in South Africa on Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n 34-year-old tighthead Tu\u2019ungafasi brings serious Test experience to the All Blacks squad, with 68 caps to his name after making his debut in 2016.<\/p>\n However, he is yet to don the black jersey under Rennie<\/a>, after missing out on selection for the Nations Championship.<\/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 23-year-old lock Hannah also returns to the All Blacks picture for the first time since his Test debut in July, where he came off the bench in their win against France. He has also featured for the All Blacks XV on two occasions, and was a consistent figure in the Crusaders\u2019 starting XV in 2026.<\/p>\n