All Blacks Make 3 Changes for Springboks Test 2 at DHL Stadium Cape Town
- Dave Rennie named his revised starting XV for Saturday's Test against the Springboks, with injuries forcing changes in the front five
- Leroy Carter earns a place in the run-on team while two new faces join the replacements bench after impressing against the Lions midweek
- The All Blacks head into Test Two unbeaten on South African soil, having won the series opener 33-16 last weekend
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All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has revealed a reshuffled starting lineup for Saturday's second Test against the Springboks at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, with injury forcing his hand in the front five.
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New Zealand travel into the fixture on the back of a 33-16 victory over South Africa in the opening Test and remain undefeated across their entire South African tour, including a 41-35 win over the Lions on Tuesday. Ethan de Groot and lock Josh Lord both picked up concussions during the win against the Springboks last weekend.
In addition,loose forward Anton Segner was ruled out of the remainder of Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour in South Africa due to injury
3 changes to the All Blacks starting XV
Rennie has made three alterations to the side that triumphed last weekend. In the backline, Leroy Carter comes in on the wing, pushing Josh Moorby onto the replacements bench, while Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan, Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Ruben Love and Cam Roigard all keep their places.
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The forward pack sees two enforced changes in the front five. George Bower replaces Ethan de Groot at loosehead prop, and Tupou Vaa'i shifts to lock to cover for Josh Lord, with Fabian Holland remaining as his second-row partner. Ardie Savea captains the side again at number eight, flanked by Luke Jacobson and Simon Parker. Codie Taylor and Tyrel Lomax retain their front-row berths.
Bench sees fresh faces after Lions win
Rennie has maintained a 5:3 forward-to-back split on his bench. Xavier Numia and Patrick Tuipulotu are the two new additions to the replacements, both having featured in Tuesday's win over the Lions. Asafo Aumua, Fletcher Newell, Peter Lakai, Kyle Preston and Anton Lienert-Brown all retain their spots among the replacements.
See the full squad in the post below on X.
Speaking about the squad's development ahead of the match, Rennie said:
"While we were happy with the win last week, I think both teams will be better this weekend. We've played four Tests this year and are still growing as a group. I'm really excited about the competition for places and the performances of the squad across the matches here in South Africa, and we're really looking forward to this weekend."
The match kicks off at 17:10 SAST on Saturday, 29 August 2026, with Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli in charge.
Springboks injury concerns add to pressure before Cape Town Test
Briefly News previously reported that the All Blacks had moved above the Springboks in the World Rugby rankings after their 33-16 victory at Ellis Park on Saturday, 22 August.
The defeat ended South Africa’s 12-match winning streak and gave New Zealand a 1-0 lead in the 4-Test series. With the rematch in Cape Town approaching, attention will now turn to whether the Springboks can respond and which players will be available for the crucial encounter.
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Source: Briefly News
