All Blacks Expand Squad to 44 for Grueling South Africa and US Tour

A 44-man All Blacks squad, assembled for what coach Dave Rennie calls “the toughest tour in rugby,” will travel to South Africa and the United States across seven weeks, playing eight matches in six weeks against Springbok Test sides and four Super Rugby franchises.

Rennie and fellow selectors Sir Graham Henry and Neil Barnes retained all 34 players from the initial Nations Championship Southern Series squad, then added 10 more. Three of those additions are uncapped: prop Siale Lauaki, loose forward Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa, and first-five Josh Jacomb. The returning All Blacks in the group are Ollie Norris, George Bell, Fabian Holland, Ethan Blackadder, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Rieko Ioane, and Emoni Narawa.

The schedule is relentless. New Zealand faces four Tests against the Springboks, plus fixtures against the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls, and Lions, with the final Test taking place in Baltimore. That volume of matches shaped Rennie’s selection logic, which he described as balancing “experienced Test players and a cohort of younger players who will be keen to work hard and showcase their skillset on tour.”

Not everyone made the cut. Hurricanes loose forward Du’Plessis Kirifi, widely expected to earn selection after missing the initial Nations Championship squad, was left out. Injuries removed Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett, and Leicester Fainga’anuku from consideration entirely.

Captain Ardie Savea will join the squad only immediately before the first Test. Rennie framed the delay as deliberate load management: “He has carried a massive workload in the last couple of years and we think it is best for him to have an extended break so he can come back ready to lead us into the Test series.” Multiple alternative leaders within the 44-man group will guide the side through the early matches.

By contrast, the tour’s broader significance extends well beyond squad logistics. New Zealand Rugby CEO Steve Lancaster positioned it as a landmark in the sport’s most storied rivalry. “This is the next chapter in one of our sport’s defining rivalries,” Lancaster said. “It is our first full-scale, old-style tour in 30 years, since ‘The Incomparables’ led by Sean Fitzpatrick pulled off the All Blacks’ first series win in South Africa in 1996.”

Rennie was equally direct about the physical demands. “With eight matches in six weeks, including a four-Test series against the Springboks, this would have to be the toughest tour in rugby,” he said. “Every player will be required to play their part across this tour, whether it’s preparing to play or helping their mates prepare.”

The 44-player roster breaks down as 25 forwards and 19 backs. The forward group includes hookers Asafo Aumua, Codie Taylor, and Samisoni Taukei’aho; props Ethan De Groot, George Bower, Xavier Numia, Tyrel Lomax, Fletcher Newell, Pasilio Tosi, and Siale Lauaki; locks Tupou Vaa’i, Patrick Tuipulotu, Josh Lord, and Sam Darry; and loose forwards including Savea, Wallace Sititi, and Luke Jacobson. The backline features halfbacks Cameron Roigard and Cortez Ratima, first-fives Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, and Josh Jacomb, and outside backs including Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, and Caleb Clarke.

Whether the squad’s depth holds across eight demanding fixtures, with a captain arriving late and three uncapped players making their first tour, remains the question that South Africa will answer.