The starting forward pack remains unchanged from the original named last week, with Luke Jacobson returning to the number eight jersey, after his late withdrawal with illness last weekend.

Asafo Aumua comes in at reserve hooker and George Bower comes in for Karl Tu’inukuafe on the bench.

In the backs, Brad Weber will start at halfback with TJ Perenara on the bench, Anton Lienert-Brown returns from injury to the 13 jersey, with Rieko Ioane moving to the left wing and Sevu Reece named on the right.

First five-eighth Richie Mo’unga, who re-joined the team this week, is on the reserves bench alongside Damian McKenzie.

All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster said the team was keen to finish the Fortinet Rugby Championship on a high.

“The energy levels are high in the team, it’s our fifth Test in a row, and we’re highly motivated ahead of another big Test against South Africa and the last Test of the Championship.

“We’ve achieved the Championship title, which we’re really proud to have achieved. The fact that we now have the chance to achieve a potential Grand Slam against our Southern Hemisphere opponents is pretty special. I’m excited by that and it has already given this weekend’s Test an edge.”

Foster said the All Blacks were looking for improvement in their game across the board this week.

“We learnt some lessons last week.  We didn’t look after the ball as well as we could have and some of our work at the ruck wasn’t as good as we wanted.  We have to lift our performance in that area and the team is keen to get that right this weekend.”

All Blacks Matchday 23 v South Africa

1. Joe Moody (53)
2. Codie Taylor (63)
3. Nepo Laulala (36)
4. Brodie Retallick (88)
5. Scott Barrett (47)
6. Akira Ioane (9)
7. Ardie Savea (55) – captain
8. Luke Jacobson (9)
9. Brad Weber (13)
10. Beauden Barrett (97)
11. Rieko Ioane (43)
12. David Havili (10)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (52)
14. Sevu Reece (13)
15. Jordie Barrett (31)

16. Asafo Aumua (3)
17. George Bower. (7)
18. Ofa Tuungafasi (41)
19. Patrick Tuipulotu (40)
20. Ethan Blackadder (6)
21. TJ Perenara (74)
22. Richie Mo’unga (26)
23. Damian McKenzie (36)

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The milestone meeting between the sides will come 100 years after their first – a game in Dunedin that the All Blacks won 13-5.

Eight players will be making their first appearances against the World champions, including Akira Ioane, Quinn Tupaea and Brad Weber.

In the starting front row, Joe Moody retains the number one starting jersey and Nepo Laulala is back in the number three jersey, with Codie Taylor returning at starting hooker.

Props Karl Tu’inukuafe and Ofa Tuungafasi, along with hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho, are front row cover from the bench.

In the second row, the hugely experienced Brodie Retallick returns alongside Scott Barrett, with Patrick Tuipulotu the reserve lock.

In the loose forwards, Akira Ioane is at blindside flanker, captain Ardie Savea is at seven and Luke Jacobson at number eight.  Ethan Blackadder is the loose forward impact from the bench.

In the backs, TJ Perenara is again at halfback, with Beauden Barrett back in the starting 10 jersey in his 97th Test, playing his 15th Test against South Africa.

David Havili returns at second five-eighth while Rieko Ioane is again at centre and the starting back three from last week’s Test are retained, with George Bridge again on the left wing, Will Jordan on the right wing and Jordie Barrett at fullback.

Halfback Brad Weber, Damian McKenzie and midfielder Quinn Tupaea are the back reserves.

All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster said: “The whole team is excited at what lies ahead this weekend.  The group is working hard, we have been building our performances and we’ve put ourselves in a great position to win the Fortinet Rugby Championship and that’s really exciting for the team.

“The fact that it is against South Africa is pretty special.”

The All Blacks are expecting a torrid battle up front, as always against the Springboks. Commenting on the forwards selection, Foster added:  “It’s a tough pack to pick at the moment because there are a lot of players putting their hands up and there were some players who played well last week.”

“But we have got some very good combinations that we have worked on since the start of the Championship. It’s great to have experienced players like Joe Moody, Ofa Tuungafasi and Patrick Tuipulotu back. It has given us a great starting pack and a strong bench.”

Foster said the team was looking forward to playing in the 100th Test match, but had a narrow focus this week.

“For us, as a team, we’re trying to zone in on what we want to do in this game. We are all aware of the history and legacy of this match and respect that, but the only way we can do justice to that is to prepare well and focus on what we have to do.

“We’re excited and getting ready for what will be a huge challenge.  It will be the first time a number of our guys have played South Africa so they’re excited and ready for it,” Foster said.

All Blacks Squad v South Africa

1. Joe Moody (52)
2. Codie Taylor (62)
3. Nepo Laulala (35)
4. Brodie Retallick (87)
5. Scott Barrett (46)
6. Akira Ioane (8)
7. Ardie Savea (54) – captain
8. Luke Jacobson (9)
9. TJ Perenara (73)
10. Beauden Barrett (96)
11. George Bridge (15)
12. David Havili (9)
13. Rieko Ioane (42)
14. Will Jordan (8)
15. Jordie Barrett (30)

16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (6)
17. Karl Tu’inukuafe (22)
18. Ofa Tuungafasi (40)
19. Patrick Tuipulotu (39)
20. Ethan Blackadder (5)
21. Brad Weber (12)
22. Damian McKenzie (35)
23. Quinn Tupaea (3)

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The schedule for the 2021 Rugby Championship was recently unveiled with a full roster of teams, including South Africa. The bulk of the Rugby Championship matches will be played in Australia and New Zealand, with both countries hosting five matches each and South Africa two.

The All Blacks play the opening Bledisloe Cup Test before the start of the Rugby Championship, at Eden Park, Auckland, on Saturday 7 August.

The second Bledisloe Test is at Optus Stadium, Perth on Saturday 21 August. The third will be at Sky Stadium, Wellington on Saturday 28 August.

Busy September for the All Blacks

September will see four Tests in a row for the All Blacks, with back-to-back Tests against Argentina, at Eden Park on Saturday 11 September and Sky Stadium, Wellington on Saturday 18 September. The latter is a “home” game for the Pumas.

The first of the back-to-back Tests against South Africa at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin on Saturday 25 September will be the 100th Test match between the two famous foes. The 100th year anniversary game between the sides will be played in the same city as that first ever Test. It was Played at Carisbrook on 13 August 1921 with the All Blacks winning 13-5.

The All Blacks’ final Rugby Championship Test against South Africa will be at Eden Park on Saturday 2 October. This is a “home game” for the Springboks.

The All Blacks will play three Tests in the earlier Steinlager Series, one against Tonga and two against Fiji. They will also play four Tests on their Northern Hemisphere Tour against Wales, Italy, Ireland and France later in the year. The All Blacks will play 14 Tests in total this year, their busiest year since 2017 when they played 14 Tests and two non-Test matches.

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The six-week tournament will feature 12 Tests on back-to-back weekends between the Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina.

Each round will be played as a doubleheader with the opening fixture at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, 7 November before five straight doubleheaders across Sydney and Newcastle.

ANZ Stadium and Bankwest Stadium will each host two rounds of The Rugby Championship while Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium will be set for the clash between reigning Rugby World Cup winners, the Springboks, and the All Blacks on Saturday, 28 November.

Australia’s fixtures against New Zealand during The Rugby Championship will also double as matches for the Bledisloe Cup. Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium will host a Bledisloe Cup Test on Saturday, 7 November before Sydney’s ANZ Stadium hosts the final trans-Tasman clash on Saturday, 12 December.

November’s historic tournament will also be the first time that Tier One Rugby nations will have ever featured in a Test match doubleheader.

Kick-off times for the double-header matches will be announced in due course.

The Rugby Championship 2020 fixtures

Round One – Saturday 7 November 2020
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Argentina v South Africa
Australia v New Zealand

Round Two – Saturday 14 November
Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
New Zealand v Argentina
South Africa v Australia

Round Three – Saturday 21 November
ANZ Stadium, Sydney
New Zealand v South Africa
Australia v Argentina

Round Four – Saturday 28 November
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Argentina v Australia
South Africa v New Zealand

Round Five – Saturday 5 December
Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
Argentina v New Zealand
Australia v South Africa

Round Six – Saturday 12 December
ANZ Stadium, Sydney
South Africa v Argentina
Australia v New Zealand

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Twenty-eight year-old Cane, who has played 68 Tests, including 48 starts, since making his debut against Ireland in Christchurch in 2012, succeeds Kieran Read who retired after Rugby World Cup 2019.

All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster said he was delighted to name Cane as the new captain:

“Sam is an experienced All Black with eight years in the team now and is a ‘follow me’ type of leader and a very good thinker in the game. He has a natural ability to connect with everyone in the team and is straightforward and direct when he needs to be.”

The new appointee described it as “massive honour” to be given the captaincy:

“It’s a pretty exciting challenge really and as I’ve spent more time in the All Blacks and grown as a player, I’ve become a lot more comfortable being a leader in the team. The great thing about the All Blacks is that the leadership group is full of captains and experienced players already, so I’m just really looking forward to working closely with that group and doing my best to lead them and the rest of the squad.”

The Rotorua-native (All Black Number 1113) has already captained the All Blacks on three occasions, having become the 67^th Test captain and fifth youngest ever when he captained the team against Namibia at RWC2015 at the age of 23. He also captained the team against Italy in 2016 and against Argentina in Buenos Aires last year.

Sam Cane made his provincial debut for Bay of Plenty in 2010 at just 18 years old and his Super Rugby debut for the Chiefs the following year. In 2011, he was part of the Junior World Championship-winning New Zealand Under 20 side, was the New Zealand Rugby Age Grade Player of the Year and was also nominated for International Age Grade Player award.

Cane helped the Chiefs to the first of their back-to-back Investec Super Rugby titles in 2012 before making his All Blacks debut in June that year aged 20. He was co-captain of the Chiefs for four years taking sole charge this year and has played 116 games for the club. In 2018 Cane fractured his neck during a Test against South Africa and faced months of recovery post-surgery before making a much-anticipated return to the Chiefs in 2019, helping the team through to the Quarter Finals. A Rugby World Cup 2015 winner with the All Blacks and part of the RWC2019 squad, Cane has scored 13 tries to date for his country.

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