All Blacks coach Dave Rennie showed more of his hand for the upcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry test series by naming a shadow test team for the side’s second tour match against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban on Tuesday.
Rennie selected Luke Jacobson as captain for the first time - mainly because tour captain Ardie Savea is yet to arrive in the country and Codie Taylor, the stand-in captain is still trying to overcome a calf strain.
Rennie made a number of changes to the side that beat the Stormers on Friday and many of these players selected are expected to line up against the Springboks on August 22 at Ellis Park in the first test.
Jacobson has his Chiefs teammates Wallace Sititi and Tupou Vaa’i with him in the loose trio.
Rennie said he had little doubt for Jacobson to be his captain.
“He's a quality man, hugely respected among his group. Smart, understands our game. Leads through his actions. He's been in great form and been a big part of our engine room,” Rennie said at the team announcement.
One-test scrumhalf Kyle Preston gets a start, with Cam Roigard on the bench, while flyhalf Ruben Love starts alongside Damian McKenzie at fullback with the expected test midfield of Jordie Barrett and Quinn Tupaea picked for the match. Caleb Clarke is on the left wing.
Up front, Ethan de Groot, Asafo Aumua and Fletcher Newell are the front row while Sam Darry and Josh Lord pack down in the engine room.
On the bench two players could make their debuts, as hooker Bradley Slater and No 8 Semisi Ta’eiloa have been selected.
Rennie said the quick turnaround was tough but he felt they had enough to get them through the tour and keep the standards high in the team.
“A lot of guys played over here and were concerned about the challenges they're going to face up front. You don't really understand that till you experience it,” he said.
“I thought we did a better job staying in front of them (the Stormers), and we did better in the second half, scrum stuff looking tidier. We went for it, playing from the edge, created a lot of opportunities, and a couple of them, three-on-ones and five-on-twos, we didn't nail it, so we'll spend a little bit of time on that.
“As I mentioned, we were down to thirteen, always backed up for each other, and we finished strong and were a lot more clinical when it mattered. We played at a tempo that stretched the opposition.”
Rennie also said that Will Jordan and Taylor are due to make their tour starts against the Bulls next Saturday.
ALL BLACKS – 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Fehi Fineanganofo, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Kyle Preston, 8 Luke Jacobson (c), 7 Wallace Sititi, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Bench: 16 Bradley Slater, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Ethan Blackadder, 20 Semisi Ta’eiloa, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23 Emoni Narawa.
FACTS
- The All Blacks have played six matches against the Sharks predecessor, Natal, winning five of the matches, with one drawn.
- They recorded wins in 1928, 1949, 1970, 1976 and 1992, with the 6-6 draw in 1960. The first two games were played at Alexandra Park in the city of Pietermaritzburg (1928) and Kingsmead Cricket Ground in Durban (1949) with all other games played at King Park Stadium.
- All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke’s father, Eroni, played second five-eighth in the 1992 match.
- In total, the All Blacks have played in Durban on 15 previous occasions, for 9 wins, 5 losses and a draw, scoring 336 points and having 233 points scored against.