Ardie Savea Returns To Face Springboks At Ellis Park
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has recalled captain Ardie Savea, halfback Cam Roigard, and outside back Will Jordan for the opening Test of the four-match “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” series against the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
No. 8 and captain Savea, halfback Cam Roigard and outside back Will Jordan will make their first appearances of the tour against the Springboks, while Damian McKenzie returns from injury to start at fullback.
Savea and hooker Codie Taylor will both make their 110th Test appearances. It will be Savea’s 18th Test against South Africa and Taylor’s 17th. Anton Segner and Josh Moorby will face the Springboks for the first time.
“After all the build-up and anticipation, our whole touring squad is excited to get this first Test underway,” Rennie said.
“We have selected a balanced mix of big-match, experienced players and younger players who have earned the right to play in this first Test.
“The first three franchise games have exposed our newer players to the way South African teams play and have been fantastic in helping us build combinations and develop the game we want to play.
“We know the Test series will be a huge step up. We’re well aware of what the Springboks will bring to the contest and the pressure that will come to bear. They are number one in the world, playing at their spiritual home in front of their passionate fans, so we will have to be at our very best on Saturday.”
Limited seats for the first Test have become available after commercial partners returned some of their ticket allocations. Fans are encouraged not to miss out and can purchase tickets via the official ticketing platform.
All Blacks match-23 (Test caps in brackets):
15 Damian McKenzie (77)
14 Will Jordan (57)
13 Quinn Tupaea (26)
12 Jordie Barrett (81)
11 Josh Moorby (2)
10 Ruben Love (8)
9 Cam Roigard (20)
8 Ardie Savea (captain, 109)
7 Luke Jacobson (27)
6 Tupou Vaa’i (47)
5 Fabian Holland (12)
4 Josh Lord (15)
3 Tyrel Lomax (51)
2 Codie Taylor (109)
1 Ethan de Groot (43)
Replacements:
16 Asafo Aumua (22)
17 George Bower (26)
18 Fletcher Newell (37)
19 Anton Segner (2)
20 Peter Lakai (10)
21 Kyle Preston (1)
22 Anton Lienert-Brown (90)
23 Leroy Carter (7)
MATCH FACTS
• The All Blacks have played South Africa 110 times, recording 63 wins, 43 losses and four draws. The first meeting took place in 1921 at Carisbrook in Dunedin, where the All Blacks won 13-5. The most recent clash between the great rivals was last year in Wellington, where the Springboks won 43-10.
• The All Blacks have played the Springboks 16 times at 10bet Ellis Park, with South Africa winning 10 times and New Zealand six.
• This year’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is the 13th Test series between the All Blacks and Springboks. The series record is tied at five wins apiece, with the first two series, in 1921 and 1928, ending in draws. The Springboks then won five of the next seven series through to 1976.
New Zealand’s two wins during that period came at home, in 1956 and 1965, while they lost at home to South Africa in 1937. New Zealand won the next three series in 1981 and 1994 at home, and in 1996 in South Africa, securing their first series victory away from home.
• The Springboks and All Blacks are currently ranked first and second in the men’s world rankings and have combined to win seven of the 10 Rugby World Cups contested since the tournament began in 1987. The All Blacks lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in 1987, 2011 and 2015, while South Africa have won the tournament four times, in 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2023.
Two of those finals were contested directly between the great rivals. South Africa won 15-12 after extra time at Ellis Park in 1995 before edging the All Blacks 12-11 at the Stade de France in 2023. It should also be noted that South Africa did not participate in the first two Rugby World Cup tournaments, in 1987 and 1991.
