All Blacks Beat Sharks In Durban
by All Blacks Rugby | Fansite

All Blacks Beat Sharks In Durban

The All Blacks continued with their fine start to their tour of South Africa, cruising to an impressive 54-0 triumph over the Sharks in Durban.

Despite torrential rain in the build-up, leaving some parts of the field soaked, the All Blacks dealt better with the atrocious weather conditions than their hosts, eventually running in eight tries.

Fehi Fineanganofo led the way with a brace. Their other tries were scored by Damian McKenzie, Caleb Clarke, Jordie Barrett, Kyle Preston, Timoci Tavatavanawai and Sam Darry while Ruben Love succeeded with seven conversions.

There was plenty of fanfare in the build-up to this encounter after it was revealed that legendary All Blacks centre Ma’a Nonu would be amongst the Sharks replacements and there was a fantastic moment just before kick-off when the 44-year-old did a solo haka in response to the traditional war dance done by his countrymen.

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All Blacks Team Named To Play France – Nations Championship
by All Blacks Rugby | Fansite

All Blacks Team Named To Play Sharks – Tour Of South Africa

All Blacks Head Coach Dave Rennie has named his team to play the Sharks at Kings Park Stadium in Durban.

All Blacks Team To Play Sharks

New Zealand:
15: Damian McKenzie, 14: Fehi Fineanganofo, 13: Quinn Tupaea, 12: Jordie Barrett, 11: Caleb Clarke, 10: Ruben Love, 9: Kyle Preston, 8: Wallace Sititi, 7: Luke Jacobson (captain), 6: Tupou Vaa’i, 5: Sam Darry, 4: Josh Lord, 3: Fletcher Newell, 2: Asafo Aumua, 1: Ethan de Groot.
Replacements:
16: Bradley Slater, 17: Ollie Norris, 18: Pasilio Tosi, 19: Ethan Blackadder, 20: Semisi Ta’eiloa, 21: Cortez Ratima, 22: Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23: Emoni Narawa.

Bradley Slater’s All Blacks career is off to a whirlwind start, with the hooker flying in to join the squad just five days ago as a replacement for the injured George Bell. Slater is set to make his All Blacks debut from the bench alongside loose forward Semisi Ta’eiloa.

Meanwhile, seven players from the All Blacks team that beat the Stormers 38-21 on Friday have again been named in the 23 for this second match of the tour.

Hooker Asafo Aumua, lock Sam Darry, halfback Kyle Preston, and wing Caleb Clarke, who all came off the bench against the Stormers, will start against the Sharks. Prop Pasilio Tosi, who started in the Stormers game, will provide impact from the bench, alongside fellow prop Ollie Norris and loose forward Ethan Blackadder, who get their second bench start of the tour.

Luke Jacobson will captain the All Blacks for the first time.

“Luke is the obvious choice to captain the team against the Sharks. He is highly respected, has a great feel for the game and will lead through his actions,” Head Coach Dave Rennie said.

“The opening match gave the players a real introduction to the way that South African teams play and the Sharks will be no different. With a short turnaround between games, today has been a big day of preparation. There is a lot of excitement in the group, with the majority of the squad about to play their first game of the tour.”

Wednesday 12th August (NZT)
All Blacks vs Sharks, 5.00AM (NZT), Kings Park Stadium, DURBAN.

News Source: allblacks.com

All Blacks Survive A Scare To Beat Stormers In Cape Town
by All Blacks Rugby | Fansite

All Blacks Survive A Scare To Beat Stormers In Cape Town

The All Blacks were given an early reminder of the challenges of playing in South Africa before pulling away late for a 38-21 win over the Stormers in the opening game of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.

The final margin flattered the All Blacks, who were locked at 14-14 midway through the second half and were unable to breathe easily until three tries in the closing stages.

The Stormers’ 6-2 bench split eventually proved costly as they ran short of backline replacements, while the physical toll of the contest began to tell.

Discipline was a major issue for the All Blacks throughout. They received three yellow cards, conceded a penalty try and were penalised 16 times to the Stormers’ 11.

The home side also enjoyed 57 percent of territory but struggled to turn that advantage into points, while being forced to make 149 tackles compared with 122 from the All Blacks.

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All Blacks Team Named To Play France – Nations Championship
by All Blacks Rugby | Fansite

All Blacks Team Named To Play Stormers – Tour Of South Africa

All Blacks Head Coach Dave Rennie has named his team to play the Stormers in the opening match of the Tour of South Africa.

All Blacks Team To Play Stormers

New Zealand:
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 (captain), 4: Fabian Holland, 3: Pasilio Tosi, 2: Samisoni Taukei’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.

Prop Siale Lauaki and inside back Josh Jacomb look set to make their All Blacks debut from the bench, while seven other All Blacks will be making their first appearance in the black jersey this year: forwards Ollie Norris, Fabian Holland, Simon Parker and Ethan Blackadder; and Kyle Preston, Beauden Barrett and Rieko Ioane in the backs.

Lock Patrick Tuipulotu will captain the All Blacks for the second time after previously captaining the side against Japan in October 2024.

“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,” Head Coach Dave Rennie said.

“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.

Saturday 8th August (NZT)
All Blacks vs Stormers, 5.10AM (NZT), DHL Stadium, CAPE TOWN.

News Source: allblacks.com