Patrick Tuipulotu to lead All Blacks in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour opener

Patrick Tuipulotu to lead All Blacks in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour opener

Prop forward Siale Lauaki and back Josh Jacomb look set to make their All Blacks debuts in the series opener at the DHL Stadium, after getting the nod to feature off the bench.

Elsewhere, lock Tuipulotu will lead the side into battle this weekend, as Rennie begins his captaincy experiments in the absence of tour captain Ardie Savea.

The All Blacks boss has named a rotated side to take on the URC outfit, with a number of changes from their Nations Championship win over Ireland last month.

Josh Moorby gets the nod at full-back, with Leory Carter and Rieko Ioane on the wings. Billy Proctor and Anton Lienert-Brown form the centre pairing, while Beauden Barrett and Cortez Ratima start in the halves.

Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai and Simon Parker form the back-row, with skipper Tuipulotu starting alongside the returning Fabian Holland in the locks. Pasilo Tosi, Samisoni Tauke’aho and George Bower start in the front-row.

Rennie has opted for a 5:3 split on his bench, with the debutants joined by Asafo Aumua, Ollie Norris, Sam Darry, the returning Ethan Blackadder, Kyle Preston and Caleb Clarke.

Commenting on his selection, Rennie said: "Firstly, I want to congratulate the new All Blacks Siale and Josh. It will be a very exciting and proud day for them and their families.

"We've had a great welcome in Cape Town, and we're excited to get this tour underway. We are really pleased with how our leaders, including match-day captain Patrick and tour captain Codie, have prepared the group. We can't wait for Friday.

"We're well aware of how good this Stormers side is. They made the semi-finals of the United Rugby Championship last year and they are a big, physical side with a mix of talented youngsters and Springboks, so we are preparing for a real war of attrition."

All Blacks: 15 Josh Moorby, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Peter Lakai, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 4 Fabian Holland, 3 Pasilo Tosi, 2 Samisoni Tauke'aho, 1 George Bower

Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Siale Lauaki, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Ethan Blackadder, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Caleb Clarke

Related News

Junior Bok Yaqeen Ahmed debuts for Stormers in historic All Blacks clash

Junior Bok Yaqeen Ahmed debuts for Stormers in historic All Blacks clash

  • 1 day ago

Ruhan Nel will captain the Stormers in the first match of the highly anticipated Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour against the All Blacks at DHL Stadium on Friday night.

Springboks to don Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika jersey for Rugby's Greatest Rivalry

Springboks to don Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika jersey for Rugby's Greatest Rivalry

  • 1 day ago

SA Rugby and Nike have teamed up to unveil a Springbok jersey like no other for the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour against legendary rivals New Zealand.

Steve Hansen warns All Blacks about revved-up Stormers looking to make their lives difficult

Steve Hansen warns All Blacks about revved-up Stormers looking to make their lives difficult

  • 2 days ago

Former head coach Steve Hansen cautioned the All Blacks against taking their Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour warm-up match against the Stormers lightly.

Deon Fourie set to make injury return for Stormers against the All Blacks

Deon Fourie set to make injury return for Stormers against the All Blacks

  • 3 days ago

Utility forward Deon Fourie is excited to make his long-awaited return to the field when the Stormers take on the All Blacks at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.