By Nick Said
CAPE TOWN, July 31 (Reuters) - New Zealand are relishing the opportunity to play an old-school tour of South Africa for the first time in 30 years but are well aware of the challenge of facing the four-times world champions in their own backyard.
The All Blacks play three tests in South Africa and another against the Springboks in Baltimore, United States, and take on provincial sides the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions in warm-up fixtures.
They begin against the Stormers in Cape Town
on August 8, with the first test in Johannesburg two weeks later.
The team were greeted by several thousand All Blacks fans in an open training clinic on Friday, a throwback to when many South Africans chose to support New Zealand over the Springboks during apartheid.
"It's a pretty tight schedule and you've got times where one group's playing and the other group's training on the same day,” New Zealand coach Dave Rennie told reporters.
“We've got to make sure we embrace the country and embrace the challenge. The support we receive in Cape Town is always tremendous.”
The All Blacks will be without captain Ardie Savea for the first few weeks on tour after he was rested.
"Ardie has had a massive workload. He's been playing and training since January 2025, so that's about 18 months of top-level footie. We just wanted him to take some time out,” Rennie said.
"He won't play against the Bulls either but will be in South Africa 10 days before the first test.”
Stand-in skipper Codie Taylor has memories of playing Super Rugby fixtures in South Africa before the latter’s teams moved to the United Rugby Championship competition that features sides from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy.
“It sucks not being able to come over here for Super Rugby,” Taylor said. “I used to love those tours, love the contests that we had against the South African clubs.
“It's a different brand of rugby to what we get back home and you get a taste of it when you come over here. Big, physical men, great set-piece sides, but also backs that can burn you pretty quick.
“We've got a massive calendar leading up to (the 2027 World Cup in Australia) and I don't think it starts any harder than coming to play South Africa and club teams over here. It’s great.”
(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken Ferris)
