After three warm-up wins against South African franchises, the All Blacks get down to business with a starting XV that looks very different from recent weeks.
After three warm-up wins against the Stormers, the Sharks and the Bulls, the All Blacks get down to business. Dave Rennie named his side on Thursday for the first of four Tests against the Springboks, on Saturday at 5.10pm at Ellis Park, and it looks very different from the teams fielded in recent weeks.
The injured return, Barrett drops out
Will Jordan and Cam Roigard had not played since the end of the Nations Championship and did not feature in any of the three tour games. They start on Saturday. Damian McKenzie, troubled by an ankle since the game against the Sharks in Durban, keeps his place at full-back: his fitness had been described as the staff’s main concern.
The consequence fits in one line: Beauden Barrett, who played in the warm-up games, is not in the matchday twenty-three. At 35, the fly-half has 146 caps and 47 tries for the All Blacks. Richie Mo’unga, called up mid-tour after Billy Proctor’s injury, was not in contention either, as Rennie had announced earlier in the week.
The All Blacks’ all-time leading try scorer
Will Jordan’s return carries weight. Our records show 52 tries in 57 Tests, a total that makes him the leading try scorer in the history of the national side, ahead of three players on 47.
| Player | Caps | Tries | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Jordan | 57 | 52 | since 2020 |
| Doug Howlett | 62 | 47 | 1999-2007 |
| Christian Cullen | 58 | 47 | 1995-2002 |
| Beauden Barrett | 146 | 47 | since 2011 |
| Joe Rokocoko | 67 | 46 | 2002-2010 |
| Julian Savea | 54 | 45 | 2011-2016 |
Cam Roigard is not far behind: fifteen tries in twenty Tests for a scrum-half is a strike rate few number 9s can match. It will be only his second Test against the Springboks, after coming off the bench in a warm-up game before the 2023 World Cup.
Ruben Love handed the fly-half role
This is the gamble of the match. At 25, Ruben Love has just seven caps and three tries. He will wear the number 10 against the back-to-back world champions, while Steve Hansen said this week that Mo’unga posed no immediate threat to his place.
The build-up has not calmed down: accusations flying both ways over the pace of the game, a pre-match meeting with the officials turned down by Rassie Erasmus, and an admission from Israel Dagg that the All Blacks also had, in their day, an agreed signal to stop play.
Comments