Two concussions, two plane tickets
The All Blacks sick bay is overflowing. Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord have both entered concussion protocol, and Dave Rennie had to move fast.
Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Jamie Hannah are the replacements. New Zealand Rugby put it plainly in a statement: “Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Jamie Hannah join the All Blacks squad to replace Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord, who are following World Rugby concussion protocols. They leave New Zealand immediately and will arrive in South Africa on Monday.”
All of this within 24 hours of a 33-16 win over the Springboks. Victories like that come with an invoice attached.
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Sixty-eight caps and one cap, on the same flight
Tu’ungafasi is 34, with 68 caps since his 2016 debut. A tighthead who has seen everything the international game throws at a front row. One curiosity: he has never actually played under Rennie, having been left out for the Nations Championship.
Hannah is 23. His single cap came in July, off the bench against France. Add two outings for the All Blacks XV and a full 2026 season starting for the Crusaders. The lock lands in South Africa exactly when New Zealand are running low on experience up front.
This is not the first reshuffle of the tour. George Bell, Billy Proctor, Caleb Clark and Ollie Norris have already gone home. Richie Mo’unga, Bradley Slater and Noah Hotham came into the wider squad after them.
Two fixtures in five days, and a squad that keeps shrinking
The list is still growing. Anton Segner withdrew late from Saturday’s squad with an ankle problem. Cortez Ratima is a doubt after taking a knock to the knee against the Bulls last week.
The calendar has no sympathy. New Zealand meet the Lions on Tuesday 25 August in the last midweek fixture of the tour, then the Springboks again on Saturday 29 August at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
A statement result, and a dressing room emptying out behind it. Rennie has five days to sort out which one defines his week.
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