--- title: "All Black captain Ardie Savea will only join Greatest Rivalry tour before first Test" description: "All Black coach Dave Rennie recalled veteran flank Ethan Blackadder and named three uncapped players in a 44-man touring squad for next month’s fixtures in South Africa. Captain Ardie Savea will miss the opening two matches." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "LATE ARRIVAL" author: "Craig Ray" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/craig-ray/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-07-27-all-black-captain-ardie-savea-will-only-join-greatest-rivalry-tour-before-first-test/" published: "2026-07-27T14:21:26" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 1613 --- # All Black captain Ardie Savea will only join Greatest Rivalry tour before first Test > All Black coach Dave Rennie recalled veteran flank Ethan Blackadder and named three uncapped players in a 44-man touring squad for next month’s fixtures in South Africa. Captain Ardie Savea will miss the opening two matches. By Craig Ray · Published 27 July 2026, 16:21 SAST ## Key points - All Blacks Squad Announced: Coach Dave Rennie reveals a 44-man touring squad for the Greatest Rivalry series, featuring three uncapped players and veteran flank Ethan Blackadder. - Captain Savea’s Delay: Ardie Savea will miss the initial two matches for rest and recuperation, joining the tour only before the first Test. - Injury Concerns: Key players, including Codie Taylor and Scott Barrett, will also miss early games, raising questions about squad depth and leadership. - Strategic Preparations: Rennie outlines pre-selected teams for the tour, with Beauden Barrett set to start against the Stormers, and details on travel logistics are complicated by route changes. ## Content The battle lines are set, the names of the 88 players – 44 Springboks and 44 All Blacks – for the Greatest Rivalry series have been revealed and the time for talking is nearly over. On Monday All Blacks coach Dave Rennie showed his hand for the eight-match tour, which includes four provincial matches against South Africa’s top franchise teams. Captain Ardie Savea won’t feature in the midweek games as he has been given additional time off for some recuperation and will only link up with the tour before the first Test. ![Rugby-AB squad](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/1gQxDpnorGvwTBoi42-PbYCiqQo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/2286593407_328652.jpg) *All Blacks coach Dave Rennie. (Photo: Joe Allison – Nations Championship / Nations Championship via Getty Images)* Rennie named three new caps – Hurricanes prop Siale Lauaki, Moana Pasifika looseforward Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa and Chiefs flyhalf Josh Jacomb – in the group. Centre Timoci Tavatavanawai, utility backs Emoni Narawa and Rieko Ioane, lock Fabian Holland, hooker George Bell, prop Ollie Norris and flank Ethan Blackadder have been added to the squad that did duty during the Nations Championship. Rennie omitted flank Du’Plessis Kirifi and was unable to select flyhalf Richie Mo’unga, who is still ineligible after a stint in Japan, until he plays in New Zealand’s NPC. ![Rugby-AB squad](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/WmQcjWoVPV9-mZ3FWLyyJGvnjl4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/2168786233_529707.jpg) *Flank Ethan Blackadder, seen here in action against the Boks at Ellis Park in 2024, has been recalled. (Photo: Dirk Kotze / Gallo Images / Getty Images)* There is a chance Mo’unga could still feature on the tour if he plays some domestic provincial rugby and there is an injury to one of the players in the named squad. That would open the door to his return, although he has not spent any time with the squad during the Nations Championship and has not worked under Rennie at the All Blacks. Prop Tamaiti Williams, lock and former captain Scott Barrett and wing Leicester Fainga’anuku were unavailable due to injury. Essentially, four players Rennie could have selected were unavailable to him. The Boks are nearly at full strength too, only missing locks RG Snyman and Jean Kleyn and flank Kwagga Smith among those who might be considered sure picks for the squad. But on Monday Bok coach Rassie Eramus added Stormers prop Ntuthuko Mchunu to the squad, hours after Rennie revealed his group. ![P47 SA Rugby Cardinelli](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/8MEm2qwDoue72spNkPHIU3isMYQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2990/TL_2542050_979443.jpg) *Stormers prop Ntuthuko Mchunu has been added to the Bok squad. (Photo: Ashley Vlotman / Gallo Images)* It’s unclear if the addition of Mchunu, which took the Boks to a 44-man group, was because of what Erasmus and his assistant coaches saw in the All Black group, which contains eight props, or not. ### **Savea return** In an unusual development, Test captain Savea will arrive about 10 days after most of his teammates. The touring party will arrive in various batches as they fly through Perth, Hong Kong and Singapore due to the war in Iran forcing them to abandon plans to travel via Dubai. Savea, though, will come even later as he has been playing without a proper off-season for nearly two years. “Ardie has been training and playing since January 2025. He had that season there, then went away with the All Blacks, came to Kobe and then straight into the Nations Championship. So, we need to find a window where we can freshen him up,” Rennie said. “This seemed like an obvious time, so it was a pretty simple decision. It’s a decision that we’ve made on what we think’s best for him. “Ardie would plug on, but it comes to a head at some stage, and it’s such a big series. “Freshening him up prior to those four Tests was essential, and what we could have done was left him out of the last three and try to freshen him up that way, but it was important to us, and it was important to him to play. We think this is a really good compromise. “He could have come on tour, and we might only have played him in one of those games, but we felt just getting his head out of footy and getting him away a little bit. We trust him to do the work and turn up in good nick. He will arrive 10 days before the first Test. So, plenty of time, we think.” ![Rugby-AB squad](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/8lZN1_fXtkA7eXxR3h-8liWLGa0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/2286606103_929228.jpg) *Ardie Savea will hook up with the squad after matches against the Stormers and Sharks. (Photo: Kai Schwoerer – Nations Championship via Getty Images)* Savea will definitely miss the matches against the Stormers and Sharks, and although he will be in the country for the clash against the Bulls on 15 August he is unlikely to play at Loftus. In Savea’s absence, experienced hooker Codie Taylor will lead the squad on tour even though he is carrying an injury and won’t feature on the opening two tour matches either. “He (Taylor) is now injured as well. He certainly won’t play in the first couple of games, but he has got a huge amount of respect within this group, and the plan was always that Codie would have only played one of those three games prior to the first Test,” Rennie confirmed. “We have a variety of leaders who we think can do the job on the day. I think a tour captain will deal with a hell of a lot of media and scrutiny while we’re over there. “It’s not just the 80 minutes on game day. So, good chance to grow others, but I have got a really high opinion of Codie; the boys love him and respect him, and I think he’ll be valuable for us over there.” ![Rugby-AB squad](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/XBFJ4NVT4L-4GSAbf5gYh92OinA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/2269748185_339506.jpg) *Josh Jacomb kicks a conversion during the round eight Super Rugby match between the Chiefs and NSW Waratahs. He is one of the new caps in the squad. (Photo: Phil Walter / Getty Images)* ### **Planning ahead** Rennie, who oversaw three wins in his first three Tests in charge during the opening rounds of the Nations Championship, revealed that he has already pre-selected teams for certain matches. Veteran flyhalf Beauden Barrett will start the tour opener against the Stormers, while other selections are also apparently locked in. Beauden Barrett did not feature in the Nations Championship in July as Ruben Love was preferred at flyhalf and performed exceptionally. But the eldest Beauden offers great experience and class, and given that there are four Tests in four consecutive weekends he is likely to play against the Springboks at some stage. “Beauden will start against the Stormers,” Rennie said. “Look, I’ve said it before, Beauden really impressed me; he is training superbly, his contribution has been excellent, very professional. He’s been incredibly supportive of Ruben (Love). “It’s tough for him because he’s probably trained well enough to get an opportunity, but we felt that Ruben needed time in the seat and he’s done a really good job there, so Beauden gets his opportunity against the Stormers and is keen to rip in.” ![Bok centre Canan Moodie stops All Black flyhalf Beauden Barrett during the clash in Wellington. (Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/hCX5GQiyIjA3WcsXNtF9OQ2CM88=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2235160068.jpg) *Bok centre Canan Moodie stops All Black flyhalf Beauden Barrett in Wellington last year. Coach Dave Rennie has confirmed that Barrett will start at flyhalf in the opening game against the Stormers. (Photo: Joe Allison / Getty Images)* Rennie confirmed that the rest of the team to meet the Stormers had been decided as well. “Look, we put a lot of time into this. We picked the 44 players a long time ago, and there hasn’t been a lot of footy between when we picked the 44 and now,” Rennie added. “We had some really strong opinions around that. “The way we’re travelling, we were due to go through Dubai, and obviously with what’s happened over there, the flights got changed two or three months ago. “We are now on multiple flights, one through Singapore, one through Perth, and one through Hong Kong. And we’re going at different stages. “So 30 people will be travelling on Thursday, and we have decided to leave 23 at home and with seven staff. So those guys will play the Stormers. “We had to pick the first Test team and then try and work back to make sure we’re sharing the load, and to come up with a 23 that would stay. “It’s complicated probably, but it allows that group to have one extra training day and preparation, and then they’ll arrive in Cape Town on a Friday and have a full week to prepare for the Stormers. “Everyone will play in those first three games, which is great, and we’re going to share the load.” **DM** ### **All Blacks squad** **Hookers:** Asafo Aumua, Codie Taylor, Samisoni Taukei’aho, George Bell **Props:** Ethan De Groot, George Bower, Xavier Numia, Ollie Norris, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi, Siale Lauaki **Locks:** Tupou Vaa’i, Patrick Tuipulotu, Josh Lord, Sam Darry, Fabian Holland **Loose forwards**: Peter Lakai, Simon Parker, Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, Anton Segner, Ardie Savea (captain), Wallace Sititi, Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa **Scrumhalves:** Cam Roigard, Cortez Ratima, Kyle Preston **Flyhalves:** Ruben Love, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Josh Jacomb **Centres:** Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Billy Proctor, Anton Lienert-Brown, Timoci Tavatavanawai **Outside Backs:** Caleb Clarke, Fehi Fineanganofo, Leroy Carter, Josh Moorby, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Emoni Narawa. **Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry fixtures 2026:** - Friday, 7 August: Stormers v All Blacks, Cape Town Stadium - Tuesday, 11 August: Sharks v All Blacks, Kings Park, Durban - Saturday, 15 August: Bulls v All Blacks, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria - Saturday, 22 August: Springboks v All Blacks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg (first Test) - Tuesday, 25 August: Lions v All Blacks, Ellis Park - Saturday, 29 August: Springboks v All Blacks, Cape Town Stadium (second Test) - Saturday, 5 September: Springbok Women v Black Ferns, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg - Saturday, 5 September: Springboks v All Blacks, FNB Stadium (third Test) - Saturday, 12 September: Springboks v All Blacks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, US (fourth Test)