Overview
- The All Blacks beat the Sharks 54-0 on Tuesday in Durban, scoring eight tries and keeping a clean sheet to go 2-0 in the provincial leg of their South Africa tour.
- Centre Billy Proctor was sent home with a fractured shoulder blade and Richie Mo'unga was formally recalled as his injury replacement after making himself eligible by returning to play in the NPC.
- Fullback Damian McKenzie limped off with an ankle concern in the Sharks game but was assessed as minor and expected to be available for the Test series.
- Hooker Codie Taylor returns from injury and will captain the side for Saturday’s provincial match against the Bulls, which serves as the final hit-out before the first Test at Ellis Park on August 22.
- Coaches are treating the four provincial matches as controlled auditions to manage workloads and finalise combinations, a process that has intensified competition for starting spots and could change Test plans in the coming days.