All Blacks Squad Named for Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour

Full Nations Championship squad retained as 10 more join the touring group

All Blacks Head Coach Dave Rennie and fellow selectors, Sir Graham Henry and Neil Barnes, have retained all 34 players from the initial Nations Championship Southern Series squad, and named an additional ten players to bolster the group for the seven-week tour.

The squad is as follows (age, Super Rugby Club, province, Test caps):

* denotes new cap

Forwards (25)

Hookers

Asafo Aumua (29 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 22)
Codie Taylor (35 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 109)
Samisoni Taukei’aho (28 / Chiefs / Waikato / 44)
George Bell (24 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 4)

Props

Ethan De Groot (27 / Highlanders / Southland / 43)
George Bower (34 / Crusaders / Otago / 26)
Xavier Numia (27 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 2)
Ollie Norris (26 / Chiefs / Waikato / 3)
Tyrel Lomax (30 / Hurricanes / Tasman / 51)
Fletcher Newell (26 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 37)
Pasilio Tosi (27 / Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty / 17)
Siale Lauaki * (23 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 0)

Locks

Tupou Vaa’i (26 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 47)
Patrick Tuipulotu (33 / Blues / Auckland / 57)
Josh Lord (25 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 15)
Sam Darry (26 / Blues / Canterbury / 10)
Fabian Holland (23 / Highlanders / Otago / 12)

Loose Forwards

Peter Lakai (23 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 10)
Simon Parker (26 / Chiefs / Northland / 8)
Ethan Blackadder (31 / Crusaders / Tasman / 14)
Luke Jacobson (29 / Chiefs / Waikato / 27)
Anton Segner (25 / Blues / Auckland / 2)
Ardie Savea (32 / Moana Pasifika / Wellington / 109) (Captain)
Wallace Sititi (23 / Chiefs / North Harbour / 21)
Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa * (22 / Moana Pasifika / Southland / 0)

Backs (19)

Halfbacks

Cameron Roigard (25 / Hurricanes / Counties Manukau / 20)
Cortez Ratima (25 / Chiefs / Waikato / 24)
Kyle Preston (26 / Crusaders / Wellington / 1)

First Five-Eighths

Ruben Love (25 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 8)
Beauden Barrett (35 / Blues / Taranaki / 144)
Damian McKenzie (31 / Chiefs / Waikato / 77)
Josh Jacomb * (25 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 0)

Midfielders

Jordie Barrett (29 / Hurricanes / Taranaki / 81)
Quinn Tupaea (27 / Chiefs / Waikato / 26)
Billy Proctor (27 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 13)
Anton Lienert-Brown (31 / Chiefs / Waikato / 90)
Timoci Tavatavanawai (28 / Highlanders / Tasman / 2)

Outside Backs

Caleb Clarke (27 / Blues / Auckland / 35)
Fehi Fineanganofo (23 / Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty / 1)
Leroy Carter (27 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty / 7)
Josh Moorby (28 / Hurricanes / Waikato / 2)
Will Jordan (28 / Crusaders / Tasman / 57)
Rieko Ioane (29 / Blues / Auckland / 88)
Emoni Narawa (27 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty / 4)

Unavailable due to injury: Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett and Leicester Fainga’anuku.

WATCH: Go inside All Blacks camp with episode four of Behind the Fern

Three uncapped players join the squad

Prop Siale Lauaki, loose forward Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa and inside back Josh Jacomb are the three uncapped players to join the group. They are joined by returning All Blacks Ollie Norris, George Bell, Fabian Holland, Ethan Blackadder, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Rieko Ioane and Emoni Narawa.

Rennie congratulated the selected players and said all 44 would be required to play in the tour.

“This tour will challenge us and demand the very best of us. We have selected a squad that we know is up to the challenge.  It’s a balanced blend of experienced Test players and a cohort of younger players who will be keen to work hard and showcase their skillset on tour.

“We are thrilled for those players who will have the opportunity to pull on the All Blacks jersey for the first time, and welcome back those who are returning to the group.

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

“It will be an intense seven weeks of touring but an excellent opportunity for us to pit ourselves against the current benchmark team in world rugby, and to build connections with each other in a way that only a tour of this scale can do. What we learn about ourselves on and off-field will set us up well for the Rugby World Cup in 2027,” Rennie said.

WATCH: Meet the All Blacks five debutants from the July Nations Championship series

Historic Tour to kick off in Cape Town against the Stormers

The All Blacks will kick off Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in Cape Town on 7 August (local time) against the Stormers, who finished near the top of the United Rugby Championship (URC) regular season standings. They will play the Sharks at the notoriously difficult “Shark Tank” (Kings Park Stadium) in Durban four days later and then head to Pretoria to take on URC grand finalists, the Bulls, on 15 August.

The first Test against the Springboks is on 22 August at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park, followed by the final franchise game against the Lions at the same venue on 25 August. The second and third Tests will be at DHL Stadium in Capetown and FNB Stadium in Johannesburg respectively. Both teams will then travel to America to play the fourth and final Test in Baltimore, Maryland – the first time the rivals have played each other on US soil.

New Zealand Rugby CEO, Steve Lancaster, said this would be a landmark tour for both rugby-mad nations and a generation of rugby fans.

“This is the next chapter in one of our sport’s defining rivalries. 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,” Lancaster said.

“Fans from both nations and around the world have embraced the concept with around 3,000 fans expected to travel for the tour – the majority from New Zealand. We already can’t wait to host the next iteration in 2030 when South Africa embark on their first professional-era tour of New Zealand.”

Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Fixtures (all times listed are NZST):

• Saturday 8 August, 5:00am: All Blacks v Stormers, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
• Wednesday 12 August, 5:00am: All Blacks v Sharks, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
• Sunday 16 August, 5:00am: All Blacks v Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
• Sunday 23 August, 3:00am: All Blacks v Springboks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg (first Test)
• Wednesday 26 August, 5:00am: All Blacks v Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
• Sunday 30 August, 3:00am: All Blacks v Springboks, DHL Stadium, Cape Town (second Test)
• Sunday 6 September, 3:00am: All Blacks v Springboks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg (third Test)
• Sunday 13 September, 9:00am: All Blacks v Springboks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (fourth Test)

Read more about Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour HERE.

WATCH: Relive the historic 1996 Tri Nations finale between the All Blacks and South Africa.

Uncapped Player Profiles

Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa

Blessed with devastating power and pace, 22-year-old loose forward Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa (Born 25 November 2003) has delighted rugby fans since the age of 16 when he went viral with a sensational try for Otago Boys’ High School First XV. The uncompromising ball runner toured South Africa with New Zealand Under 19 in 2022, was picked up by Southland in 2023 and graduated to Super Rugby with Moana Pasifika in 2025, coming under the wings of Ardie Savea and coach Tana Umaga. In an electrifying debut season, the number eight made a total of 13 appearances, scored seven tries, played 943 minutes – the most of any player in the squad, had 989 ball carries, topped Super Rugby Pacific’s leaderboard for carries (205), and was named Moana’s Rookie of the Year and Best Defensive Player. Signed to New Zealand Rugby, he has carried his incredible form into 2026.

Siale Lauaki 

Standing 1.94m, imposing 23-year-old prop Siale Lauaki (born 30 May 2003) can play both sides of the scrum, and is part of the new wave of young players making an impact on the rugby world.  In his final year at St Patrick’s College (Town) in 2021, he made the NZ Schools side for the second time and was also named College Sport Wellington Sportsman of the Year.  He made his provincial debut for Wellington the following year, toured South Africa and played every match with the New Zealand Under 20s in 2023. He made his Super Rugby debut for the Hurricanes in 2024 and, alongside some of his fellow All Blacks, was part of the formidable Hurricanes front row which helped secure the 2026 Super Rugby title. He toured Europe with the All Blacks XV in 2025.

Josh Jacomb

A proven points-scoring machine with both the boot and tries, 25-year-old Josh Jacomb (born 23 June 2001) has a composure and game management skillset which belies his age. Auckland born and bred, Jacomb made his provincial debut for Taranaki in 2021 and Super Rugby debut for the Chiefs in 2024. Playing at his regular first-five position, and with an unerring ability to open defences up, he had a stellar provincial season for Taranaki in 2025. He was the NPC’s second highest points scorer that year. That included a hat-trick of tries and a Taranaki individual record 30 points against Auckland, and he deservedly won the Duane Monkley Medal as NPC Player of the Year. Jacomb’s talent was recognised with selection in the All Blacks XV in both 2024 and 2025. He has signed with the Highlanders from 2027.

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