All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026

@act-crusader said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@zedsdeadbaby said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

My fear is some Saffa brute takes out Roigard and we are screwed

I’m more worried about Love getting knocked out and us reverting to one of the old guard at 10.

I have a little more faith in Preston doing the job if required.

Wondering what the plan is if Love gets knocked out?

Somewhat inclined to think it would be Beauden to 10.

The alternative is DMac to 10, probably Jordan to 15, Clarke to left wing and Moorby to right - BB onto the bench. Which is very disruptive.

Or DMac to 10, Beauden to 15 - which again is more disruptive than vice-versa and I have a preference for BB 10, DMac 15 if they're paired together.

@act-crusader said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@gt12 said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@no-quarter said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@jet said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@reprobate said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@kirwan said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Blackadder and Bell real head scratchers. Is Blackadder going to be a midweek captain maybe?

Zero surprise with either for me.

Blackadder is the closest player to Jacobson, and regardless of what you think of his selection it would be hard to argue that he doesn't fit the Rennie work ethic criteria.

Bell's throwing is much improved, and he's very good around the park - I reckon he's clearly 4th.

There has been a Blackadder shaped hole in the squad for a long time.

I welcome the return of the Ruck Leper. Limbs everywhere.

Onya Ethan. Rip in.

I've been as scathing of Blackadder as anyone, but he actually had his best season last year and had clearly worked on his physical impact winning the collisions and putting in dominant tackles. I believe there were stats that indicated he was leading the way in that regard or close to it. I actually picked him in my original squad.

I like the consistency here - we have three guys to play 7 who are all workers and personally I think Blackadder is the best like for like replacement of Jacobson at 7.

I'd like to know the plan for 6 and what is going on with Parker. Still a question mark and I wonder whether he is a placeholder for Frizell.

Well what we do know is Parker will be well rested for this tour….

Surely Frizell is out of the equation completely.

To my understanding, Frizell is the same situation as Mounga. Can only be called upon if there is an injury.

@frank said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Our two vulnerabilities are our inferior scrum to the Boks and over reliance on Roigard.

Two players we can ill afford to get injured are Roigard and de Groot. I think we're pretty strong at hooker and tighthead prop - without Big Tamaiti, I'm a bit apprehensive about our looseheads behing EdG.

@chris-b. said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@act-crusader said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@zedsdeadbaby said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

My fear is some Saffa brute takes out Roigard and we are screwed

I’m more worried about Love getting knocked out and us reverting to one of the old guard at 10.

I have a little more faith in Preston doing the job if required.

Wondering what the plan is if Love gets knocked out?

Somewhat inclined to think it would be Beauden to 10.

The alternative is DMac to 10, probably Jordan to 15, Clarke to left wing and Moorby to right - BB onto the bench. Which is very disruptive.

Or DMac to 10, Beauden to 15 - which again is more disruptive than vice-versa and I have a preference for BB 10, DMac 15 if they're paired together.

Barrett in the team in any position is the most disruptive.

@booboo said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@landers92 said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@booboo well yeah, no Kirifi clearly is a talking point lol

I'll rephrase.

Should it be?

certainly is a massive talking point on SM...plenty telling him he should bail and go play for Samoa. Makes you wonder how much people really watch rugby these days?

Always recal a British player saying 20+ years back they got stopped in the street by some old lady telling him about the ABs and why they were better and why they'd win, in the past I think by and large Kiwi fans were onto it, nowadays, all the tik-tok fans!

@taniwharugby said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@booboo said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@landers92 said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@booboo well yeah, no Kirifi clearly is a talking point lol

I'll rephrase.

Should it be?

certainly is a massive talking point on SM...plenty telling him he should bail and go play for Samoa. Makes you wonder how much people really watch rugby these days?

Always recal a British player saying 20+ years back they got stopped in the street by some old lady telling him about the ABs and why they were better and why they'd win, in the past I think by and large Kiwi fans were onto it, nowadays, all the tik-tok fans!

I'm convinced the vast majority of people commenting on social media only consume the game through highlight reels and clips of player interviews and gym sessions.

I think there's a good enough mix of size, power, smarts, speed and experience to really push the Springboks on this tour. If we don't win the tour then so be it, as long as we continue to show positive progress. Under Razor the ABs were so up and down in performance, and it was difficult to understand where the hell we were heading. I'm more optimistic with Rennie.

We've got to back the players that have been selected and hopefully they'll respond by getting on the same page and playing a style of rugby we can all get onboard with. We've already seen so much improvement in three tests, let's hope this squad will continue to take strides.

From those newbies that have been selected I'm really excited to see how those big guys go, Tupou Ta'eiloa and Lauaki in particular.

@taniwharugby said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@booboo said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@landers92 said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@booboo well yeah, no Kirifi clearly is a talking point lol

I'll rephrase.

Should it be?

certainly is a massive talking point on SM...plenty telling him he should bail and go play for Samoa. Makes you wonder how much people really watch rugby these days?

Always recal a British player saying 20+ years back they got stopped in the street by some old lady telling him about the ABs and why they were better and why they'd win, in the past I think by and large Kiwi fans were onto it, nowadays, all the tik-tok fans!

Bunch of rumours on SM there's off field reasons for his omission.

With Rennie keeping a tight ship we may never know.

Sorry @act-crusader you're on the wind up with the BB captain thing right?

So many good options and other captains and they pick a non captain that possibly won't even get past this year? I can't see it eh.

So good going to SA with a decent set of props and locks.

It's not like we are relying on the Roigard - Love combo or anything...

@berniescorner said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

It's not like we are relying on the Roigard - Love combo or anything...

Yeah - that 9-10 axis is a real concern in the squad. The options in either position are a real step down.

Injury aside, this tour gives a number of players the opportunity to really make thier mark and press for a spot in the 23, maybe even to start.

I reckon, Hooker, at least 1 prop, a lock, 6, 7, 13 and 11 in the starting 15 are all there to be claimed, while we have starters, I dont think thier form has been such that they cannot be dropped.

@canes4life at 29 years if i were DPK i woūld be using any sort of out clause right now

Time to head off an earn big money

Just on Harkin i believe he will be 28 around April next year

Just wondering why he was never picked up at a younger age through the Wellington system or just case of a late bloomer ?

RIght, I'm going out on a limb here and predicting Beaudy will start the first game against the Stormers.

@antipodean said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

RIght, I'm going out on a limb here and predicting Beaudy will start the first game against the Stormers.

I've heard he's really impressed Rennie. He's training superbly. His contribution has been excellent, very professional. He's been incredibly supportive of Ruben. You know and it's tough for him because he's probably trained well enough to get an opportunity but they just felt Ruben needed time in the seat and he's done a really good job there. It's exciting he'll get an opportunity against the Stormers. I bet he's keen to rip in.

@antipodean said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

RIght, I'm going out on a limb here and predicting Beaudy will start the first game against the Stormers.

Can’t tell if sarcasm but if not, Rennie has said as much

@fale009 said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Hurricanes having four props in the All Blacks - I prayed for days like this.

Back around the days of Big Bill Cavubati, even God would have told you to be realistic in what you prayed for. Miracles he was up for - four Hurricanes props in the ABs....!

@shaquilleoatmeal said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@antipodean said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

RIght, I'm going out on a limb here and predicting Beaudy will start the first game against the Stormers.

I've heard he's really impressed Rennie. He's training superbly. His contribution has been excellent, very professional. He's been incredibly supportive of Ruben. You know and it's tough for him because he's probably trained well enough to get an opportunity but they just felt Ruben needed time in the seat and he's done a really good job there. It's exciting he'll get an opportunity against the Stormers. I bet he's keen to rip in.

My source said exactly the same thing. With that level of confirmation, we can take it as gospel.

Just playing devil’s advocate here. Razor and the Canterbury mafia copped plenty of heat for a perceived bias towards Canterbury players.

STT a bit of a Captain’s/Assistant Coach pick? I don’t think anyone was picking him ahead of CLW or even Casey after Super Rugby.

Well technically he wasn’t eligible - as he was under contract to Moana.

I don't care how well Beauden trains, we've seen him play and he better be nowhere near #10. You just know he will revert to cross-kicks under pressure rather than retain the ball.

Fullback I can just stomach, but even then it better not be the test team.

Hmmm

@tubbyj said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

View embedded content

Hmmm

Pretty sure that could be any barista in Wellington

I'd have had Kirifi, Hotham and Harkin in the squad. I won't have had Beauden Barrett.

No complaints elsewhere.

Go Black!

Delighted for Lauaki, Ta’eiloa and Jacomb.

@steven-harris Harkin played a pre season game for the Hurricanes in 2019 but got injured and missed out on playing rugby for quite some time. Then had to wait for a while to even play NPC.

@frugby said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Just playing devil’s advocate here. Razor and the Canterbury mafia copped plenty of heat for a perceived bias towards Canterbury players.

STT a bit of a Captain’s/Assistant Coach pick? I don’t think anyone was picking him ahead of CLW or even Casey after Super Rugby.

It's a product of playing for Moana. If STT had put up the last 2 seasons for the Highlanders there would have been huge clamouring for him to be in black.

NZ are in short supply of power loosies. STT is a power 8. Excellent selection

Can anyone find those Blackadder stats that show his improvement this year?

@bones said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Can anyone find those Blackadder stats that show his improvement this year?

If someone can point to his best game I'll put TSF Stat Bot on it.

@frugby said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Just playing devil’s advocate here. Razor and the Canterbury mafia copped plenty of heat for a perceived bias towards Canterbury players.

STT a bit of a Captain’s/Assistant Coach pick? I don’t think anyone was picking him ahead of CLW or even Casey after Super Rugby.

Speak for yourself.

@kiwimurph said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@frugby said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Just playing devil’s advocate here. Razor and the Canterbury mafia copped plenty of heat for a perceived bias towards Canterbury players.

STT a bit of a Captain’s/Assistant Coach pick? I don’t think anyone was picking him ahead of CLW or even Casey after Super Rugby.

It's a product of playing for Moana. If STT had put up the last 2 seasons for the Highlanders there would have been huge clamouring for him to be in black.

NZ are in short supply of power loosies. STT is a power 8. Excellent selection

He's in his early twenties.

Looks 30

@kirwan said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@bones said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Can anyone find those Blackadder stats that show his improvement this year?

If someone can point to his best game I'll put TSF Stat Bot on it.

Ethan Blackadder's standout game of the 2026 season was the Crusaders' 36–20 victory over the Blues on 8 May 2026.Having missed a stretch of games earlier in the autumn due to a calf strain, this round marked his highly anticipated return to the starting lineup at blindside flanker.Why This Was His Best Performance

The "BIGGA" Engine: Blackadder recorded his highest "repeat-effort" metrics of the year during this match. Analysts noted his incredible capacity to make a tackle, immediately bounce back to his feet, and contest the subsequent breakdown.

Defensive Masterclass: He spearheaded the Crusaders' defensive line against a heavy Blues pack, completing a game-high 24 tackles without missing a single attempt.

Attacking Impact: He secured one of his 2 season try assists during this match, providing a crucial offload in heavy traffic to unlock the Blues' midfield.

@bones said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Can anyone find those Blackadder stats that show his improvement this year?

1. He's not injured.

@kiwimurph said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

NZ are in short supply of power loosies. STT is a power 8. Excellent selection

I remember STT making plenty of metres against SA opposition for the NZ U19s on that tour.

@reprobate said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

@kirwan said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

Blackadder and Bell real head scratchers. Is Blackadder going to be a midweek captain maybe?

Zero surprise with either for me.

Blackadder is the closest player to Jacobson, and regardless of what you think of his selection it would be hard to argue that he doesn't fit the Rennie work ethic criteria.

Bell's throwing is much improved, and he's very good around the park - I reckon he's clearly 4th.

Paps would have been ideal. Poor bastard has snapped his achilles.

@frank said in All Blacks Tour of South Africa 2026:

The selection of Blackadder is clearly so we can have an injury to get Mounga in

Meltdown alert: Frizell.