Overview
- The All Blacks arrived in Cape Town this week and begin the eight‑match Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour against the Stormers on Friday, August 7, ahead of three more provincial games and four Tests including a final match in Baltimore.
- Coach Dave Rennie brought a 44‑player touring party and has named matchday 23s for the first three fixtures to give nearly the whole squad game time.
- Captain Ardie Savea will not join the group for the opening provincial matches and is scheduled to arrive just before the first Test, so veteran hooker Codie Taylor is handling early tour leadership and media duties.
- Rassie Erasmus’s long‑term rotation has produced strong front‑row and bench depth, a point Rennie publicly acknowledged, and former Springbok Steven Kitshoff warned accumulated travel and midweek games could leave New Zealand vulnerable late in the series.
- Organisers say ticket sales for the four provincial fixtures have been slower than expected even though the first two Tests have sold out, and coaches will use the midweek games to blood fringe players and finalise Test combinations ahead of the World Cup cycle.