All Blacks’ New Coach Issues Early Statement Ahead of Springboks Clash
- The New Zealand national rugby union team’s newly appointed head coach has delivered a strong message to the South Africa national rugby union team
- The All Blacks' new boss is looking forward to the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour, which will be held in South Africa later this year
- New Zealand will face the Rugby World Cup defending champions four times in 2026, with one of the games scheduled to take place in the United States of America
All Blacks' newly appointed coach Dave Rennie has sent a strong warning to South Africa, as his team will face the Springboks four times in 2026.
Source: Getty Images
The 62-year-old was given a short contract and would be with the All Blacks for the whole of the 2026 season and also lead them to the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which Australia would host.
The All Blacks and the Springboks are rated as the two biggest rugby nations in the world, and their matches always meet the expectations of the fans.
In 2025, during the Rugby Championship, they meet twice, with the All Blacks winning the first Test match at Eden Park, while the Springboks returned the favour in the second leg as they won at the Sky Stadium in Wellington.
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All Blacks bracing for renewed Springboks rivalry
While the Springboks have largely had the upper hand in this rivalry in recent seasons, Rennie’s arrival signals a reset for the New Zealand national team, particularly in a campaign that includes four Test matches against Rassie Erasmus' side.
Addressing the media following his confirmation as New Zealand's new coach on Wednesday, March 4, 2024, Rennie identified the upcoming tour to SA as a defining assignment. He framed it as a perfect time for the All Blacks to show what they are made of, especially against the Boks.
“The rivalry speaks for itself,” Rennie said. “I’m genuinely excited about heading to South Africa. Some may view it as an intimidating prospect, but we’ll have roughly six weeks on the continent with more than 40 players in camp.
“It presents a huge platform to strengthen our culture, refine the details within our game model, and build cohesion. Ideally, we emerge from that tour — just a year out from the World Cup — with real clarity and belief about where we’re heading.”
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour schedule
The Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour will begin on Friday, 7 August 2026, with a clash against the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town.
The action continues on Tuesday, 11 August 2026, when they face the Sharks at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, followed by a meeting with the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday, 15 August 2026, at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
On Saturday, 22 August 2026, they will take on the Springboks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, before returning to the same venue on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, to face the Lions.
Source: Getty Images
The tour then resumes on Saturday, 29 August 2026, with another encounter against the Springboks at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town.
They will meet the Springboks again on Saturday, 5 September 2026, at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, before concluding the tour on Saturday, 12 September 2026, with a final clash against the Springboks at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA.
Ex-All Blacks star becomes eligible for Springboks
Briefly News also reported that the Springboks head coach, Rassie Erasmus, could be given the chance to select a former All Blacks player in 2027.
The New Zealand Rugby International is eligible to play for the Springboks through his father, who is from South Africa.
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Source: Briefly News
