Have the All Blacks made the right decision in leaving their inspirational captain Ardie Savea behind for the first few weeks of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour to South Africa? And does it show how heavily All Blacks coach Dave Rennie is leaning on Savea to carry his side during the tour?
There is no doubt a player welfare argument is something that every South African supporter can understand, as the never-ending 12 month season lays waste across the rugby landscape locally, and URC franchises are forced to decide whether they will face the All Blacks under-strength or under-done given their fixtures are in the middle of their pre-season.
But Savea is a talisman for New Zealand. In every fixture that the All Blacks perform, he is front and centre. He was a no-brainer for the captaincy when Rennie took over and he is the player that leads from the front.
SAVEA MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHER PLAYERS?
While the All Blacks will talk about leadership groups and players feeding off each other, the decision to give Savea rest only underlines just how important he is to the All Blacks, and what a disaster it would be should he not be able to lead the team into the four test series against the Springboks.
Codie Taylor is no slouch as tour captain in Savea’s absence and has been an exceptional servant of New Zealand rugby, but there is really a question whether Rennie is taking a gamble on Savea’s absence early in the tour.
It’s always 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 against the Springboks and the 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 was no different 😤💯 pic.twitter.com/mFQlVZJje4
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) July 29, 2026
Savea will only arrive in South Africa 10 days before the start of the tour and is expected to play in all four tests. And while his social media shows him on a beach holiday at the moment, and the break from rugby may work in his favour, it is a helluva gamble to take ahead of the tour.
FRESHEN HIM UP
“Ardie has been training and playing since January 2025. He had that season there, then went away with the All Blacks, came to Kobe and then straight into the Nations Championship. So, we need to find a window where we can freshen him up,” Rennie explained.
“This seemed like an obvious time, so it was a pretty simple decision. It’s a decision that we’ve made on what we think’s best for him. Ardie would plug on, but it comes to a head at some stage, and it’s such a big series.
"Freshening him up prior to those four tests was essential, and what we could have done was left him out of the last three and try to freshen him up that way, but it was important to us, and it was important to him to play. We think this is a really good compromise.
🗣️ 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍 All Blacks supporters
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) July 29, 2026
Please join us this Friday, 1pm - 3:30pm, at DHL Stadium for a 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 welcome event, ahead of our Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour.
Alongside plenty of music and family friendly fun, the All Blacks will be sharing their thoughts ahead… pic.twitter.com/Y5TzHhacz8
“He could have come on tour, and we might only have played him in one of those games, but we felt just getting his head out of footy and getting him away a little bit – we trust him to do the work and turn up in good nick. He will arrive 10 days before the first test. So, plenty of time, we think.”
SAVEA IS A PRO
Savea is a professional and there is no doubt once he arrives, his focus will be on performing for the All Blacks to help them to a series victory, but there is an interesting point on whether, by giving him more rest, Rennie has now elevated his captain on a pedestal above other players in the squad?
Rugby is essentially a team game, and while there are stars who naturally stand out, what Rennie has done is essentially make Savea the face of everything in the team, and put out the message that he is more important than the other 43 players in the squad, that he needs to be treated differently.
That may not be the way everybody sees it, but when one individual in a squad is given treatment like that, it does raise some eyebrows.
And it would be interesting to see how those challenging for a test spot will take it. Are they keeping the jersey warm until he returns? Or do they have a genuine shot at a test space?
WOULD HE BE OFF THE PACE?
There is also the risk that Savea is perhaps a second off the pace returning after his teammates have already seen a few games of battle, but nowadays, the intensity of training normally matches that of a test match in any case.
It all just adds to the intrigue surrounding the series, and the All Blacks bid to dethrone the Boks from the top of the standings. But it is a gamble, nonetheless.
And it will be interesting to see how the Boks react to it - Savea is a player who is a close personal friend of Bok captain Siya Kolisi, and many of the other Boks.
The battle lines have been drawn, and Savea won’t arrive with his teammates, but the decision, while making sense as Rennie tells it, brings a new set of questions to his tour.
And the Boks will be waiting to exploit it.