Richie Mo’unga is on his way to South Africa. After weeks of speculation surrounding his omission and eligibility, New Zealand Rugby has confirmed the 56-cap first five-eighth will fly to Johannesburg on Thursday to join the All Blacks on the Greatest Rivalry Tour, replacing the injured Billy Proctor.

Mo’unga, 32, has not played for the All Blacks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against South Africa, a match the Springboks won by a single point. He spent three seasons with Japanese club Toshiba Brave Lupus before returning to New Zealand earlier this year and signing an 18-month contract with Canterbury, the Crusaders and New Zealand Rugby — a deal that runs through the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

“Richie is the obvious choice as a replacement,” head coach Dave Rennie said. “His job now is to get in and learn our systems, get his head around the detail and earn the right to play.”

The call-up follows Proctor’s tour-ending shoulder injury. The Hurricanes midfielder fractured his shoulder blade during the All Blacks’ 38-21 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town last Saturday and will fly home to New Zealand today alongside hooker George Bell, who was ruled out with a calf injury earlier in the tour. Proctor faces a 10-to-12-week recovery and will not require surgery.

“We really feel for Billy,” Rennie said. “He has had a great season so this is frustrating for him. It is the harsh reality of our game. We wish him all the best with his recovery and hope to see him fit and well in time for the end-of-year tour selection.”

Mo’unga’s path back to the All Blacks has been anything but straightforward. Under New Zealand Rugby’s eligibility criteria, players returning from overseas contracts must complete a domestic campaign before being selected for the national side. When Rennie named his original 44-man touring squad in late July, Mo’unga was deemed ineligible because he had not yet played in the NPC. That status changed when he ran out for Canterbury in the opening round against Auckland on 1 August, scoring the match-winning try in a 38-31 victory. He followed that up by guiding Canterbury to a Ranfurly Shield triumph over Otago last Sunday.

Once eligible, the door was only ever an injury away from opening. Rennie had initially hoped to take Mo’unga on tour and the playmaker attended a camp with the All Blacks prior to the Super Rugby Pacific final, but NZR did not grant the green light at the time of squad selection. With Proctor’s departure creating a vacancy, the exemption has now been granted.

Asked after the Sharks match on Wednesday whether Mo’unga could be the replacement, Rennie had smiled and said: “Yeah, well, we’ll work through that process.” That process has now concluded.

Mo’unga joins a playmaking group that already includes Ruben Love, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie and the uncapped Josh Jacomb. Love is expected to start at first five-eighth in the four-Test series against the Springboks after an impressive Nations Championship and a kicking clinic against the Sharks. McKenzie, who sprained his ankle during the 54-0 rout of the Sharks in Durban, is expected to be fit for the first Test at Ellis Park on 23 August, though Rennie acknowledged his ankle was “ginger” after the knock.

Mo’unga’s arrival gives Rennie an embarrassment of riches at pivot but, crucially, it also brings a player with World Cup final experience and 464 Test points into the squad at a time when the tour is about to shift from franchise fixtures to the business end. Whether Mo’unga earns game time against the Springboks or is eased in more gradually remains to be seen — Rennie’s instruction to “earn the right to play” suggests nothing will be handed to the 56-cap veteran.

The All Blacks face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday evening in the final fixture before the first Test. Mo’unga is due to arrive in Johannesburg on Friday. The team to play the Bulls is expected to be named on Friday morning (NZT).

The All Blacks have suffered their first injury blow of the Greatest Rivalry Tour, with hooker George Bell ruled out after sustaining a calf strain during training in Cape Town on Sunday. The 24-year-old Crusaders rake will return home to New Zealand to rehabilitate, with his recovery timeline set at four to six weeks.

Key squad news:

• George Bell suffers calf strain in training in Cape Town; ruled out for four to six weeks
• Crusaders hooker will return home to New Zealand to rehabilitate
• Uncapped Bradley Slater called up as replacement; due to arrive on Wednesday
• Codie Taylor also nursing calf strain and unlikely to feature against the Stormers on Saturday

Bell, who earned four Test caps in 2024 and 2025, was one of ten additional players named in Dave Rennie’s expanded 44-man touring squad. He had been selected as the fourth-choice hooker behind Codie Taylor, Asafo Aumua and Samisoni Taukei’aho, but his tour is over before the opening fixture against the Stormers at DHL Stadium this Saturday.

“We are all gutted for George, to be ruled out of the tour so early,” All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie said from Cape Town. “He’s had a frustrating past few months with injury so it’s a real blow for him to have injured his calf again. We look forward to seeing him return via the NPC and put himself in a position to push for All Blacks selection later in the year.”

Taranaki and Blues hooker Bradley Slater has been called into the squad as Bell’s replacement and is due to arrive in South Africa on Wednesday. The 27-year-old is uncapped at Test level but brings considerable experience, having been part of both All Blacks XV campaigns in 2024 and 2025 and amassed more than 60 Super Rugby appearances across stints with the Chiefs and Blues.

Slater comes from distinguished rugby pedigree. His father Andy is a Taranaki rugby legend, while his uncle Gordon Slater played six matches for the All Blacks, including three Tests, in 1997 and 2000. The younger Slater made a name for himself at New Plymouth Boys’ High School before joining the Chiefs in 2019, where he spent six seasons prior to his move to the Blues this year. He represented Taranaki in the opening round of the NPC last weekend against Counties Manukau.

Slater’s call-up sees him leapfrog Canterbury and Chiefs hooker Brodie McAlister, who made his All Blacks debut in 2025 with two appearances off the bench against France and South Africa. All Blacks assistant coach and selector Neil Barnes is well acquainted with Slater’s abilities, having coached him at Taranaki.

The injury to Bell compounds a challenging hooking situation for the All Blacks ahead of the tour opener. Senior hooker Codie Taylor, who is serving as tour captain before Ardie Savea joins the squad ahead of the first Test against the Springboks, has been nursing a calf strain of his own and is not expected to feature against the Stormers. That scenario could see Slater thrust into action sooner than anticipated in the opening tour matches.

The All Blacks face the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday before matches against the Sharks in Durban and the Bulls in Pretoria ahead of the first Test against the Springboks at Ellis Park on 23 August.

Dave Rennie has named three uncapped players in a 44-strong All Blacks squad for the inaugural Greatest Rivalry Tour of South Africa, a seven-week assignment the head coach has labelled “the toughest tour in rugby.” Hurricanes prop Siale Lauaki, Moana Pasifika loose forward Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa and Chiefs first five-eighth Josh Jacomb are the new faces in a touring party that will face four United Rugby Championship franchise sides and world champions South Africa in a four-Test series beginning at Ellis Park on 23 August.

Key squad news:

• Three uncapped players named: Hurricanes prop Siale Lauaki, Moana Pasifika loose forward Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa and Chiefs first five-eighth Josh Jacomb
• Captain Ardie Savea granted extended break; will miss franchise matches and join squad ahead of first Test
• All 34 Nations Championship squad members retained; ten additions bolster touring party to 44
• Fabian Holland returns after missing entire Super Rugby Pacific season with shoulder injury
• Ethan Blackadder, Rieko Ioane, Ollie Norris, George Bell, Timoci Tavatavanawai and Emoni Narawa recalled
• Du’Plessis Kirifi and Noah Hotham miss selection; Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett and Leicester Fainga’anuku unavailable through injury

All 34 players from the Nations Championship squad that recorded wins over France, Italy and Ireland earlier this month have been retained, with ten additions bolstering the group for eight matches across six weeks. Captain Ardie Savea has been granted an extended break and will not join the squad until the first Test, missing the non-Test fixtures against the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls.

“Ardie has carried a massive workload in the last couple of years and we think it is best for him to have an extended break so he can come back ready to lead us into the Test series,” Rennie said. “We have a number of excellent leaders in our squad who will embrace the chance to captain the side.”

Savea, who turns 32 during the tour, has played more than 18 months of virtually unbroken rugby after spending a season in Japan with Kobe Steelers — where he helped Rennie deliver the League One title — before returning directly into the All Blacks setup. His workload management reflects a broader eye on the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, with Rennie keen to ensure his captain arrives in peak condition for the defining encounters.

Lauaki is the genuine bolter in the squad. The 23-year-old prop, who stands 194cm and weighs 125kg, made 13 appearances for the Super Rugby Pacific champion Hurricanes this season, mostly from the bench behind established All Blacks Tyrel Lomax, Pasilio Tosi and Xavier Numia. His ability to scrummage on both sides marks him out, and he represented the All Blacks XV under Jamie Joseph in 2025 before earning his step up to the full squad. He becomes the fourth Hurricanes prop selected. “We feel like he’s got a massive ceiling,” Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw said when Lauaki re-signed with the franchise last year.

Tupou Ta’eiloa, 22, is the youngest member of the touring party and arrives off the back of an impressive body of work with Moana Pasifika, having scored eleven tries in 25 appearances for the now-defunct franchise. Born in New Zealand and educated at Otago Boys’ High School, the back-rower plays for Southland in the NPC and remains contracted to New Zealand Rugby despite Moana Pasifika’s departure from Super Rugby Pacific.

Jacomb, 25, has emerged as a playmaking option through strong form with Taranaki and the Chiefs and joins Ruben Love, Damian McKenzie and veteran Beauden Barrett — who boasts 144 Test caps — in the first five-eighth group. Richie Mo’unga, who has returned from Japan, was deemed ineligible by New Zealand Rugby until he has played in the NPC, effectively ruling him out of touring contention.

Seven capped players have also been recalled. Crusaders flanker Ethan Blackadder returns to the fold having last worn the silver fern in 2024 under Scott Robertson. Chiefs prop Ollie Norris and Crusaders hooker George Bell add front-row depth, while World Rugby Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year Fabian Holland is passed fit after missing the entire Super Rugby Pacific season with a shoulder injury. The 23-year-old Highlanders lock had a hit-out for Otago against Mid Canterbury on Friday to prove his fitness.

Highlanders co-captain Timoci Tavatavanawai earns another squad call-up in the midfield, while Chiefs winger Emoni Narawa has recovered from a near season-long injury to take his place in the outside backs. Rieko Ioane, the 88-Test veteran who recently completed a stint with Leinster in Ireland, re-joins the group after linking up with the All Blacks as injury cover during the Nations Championship.

Among the notable absentees, Hurricanes co-captain Du’Plessis Kirifi has again been overlooked, with his lack of genuine size and positional versatility counting against him in a loose forward group that includes the likes of Luke Jacobson, Savea, Anton Segner and Blackadder, all of whom can cover multiple positions. Crusaders halfback Noah Hotham has also missed the cut, with Cameron Roigard, Cortez Ratima and Kyle Preston forming the scrumhalf trio. Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett and Leicester Fainga’anuku remain unavailable through injury.

“This tour will challenge us and demand the very best of us,” Rennie said. “We have selected a squad that we know is up to the challenge. It’s a balanced blend of experienced Test players and a cohort of younger players who will be keen to work hard and showcase their skillset on tour.

“We are thrilled for those players who will have the opportunity to pull on the All Blacks jersey for the first time, and welcome back those who are returning to the group.”

The tour begins against the Stormers in Cape Town on 8 August before fixtures against the Sharks in Durban and the Bulls in Pretoria. The first Test at Ellis Park follows on 23 August, with the Lions franchise fixture slotted between the first and second Tests at the same venue. The second and third Tests take place at DHL Stadium in Cape Town and FNB Stadium in Johannesburg respectively, before both teams travel to the United States for the fourth and final Test in Baltimore — the first time the two rivals have met on American soil.

“With eight matches in six weeks, including a four-Test series against the Springboks, this would have to be the toughest tour in rugby,” Rennie said. “Every player will be required to play their part across this tour, whether it’s preparing to play or helping their mates prepare.

“It will be an intense seven weeks of touring but an excellent opportunity for us to pit ourselves against the current benchmark team in world rugby, and to build connections with each other in a way that only a tour of this scale can do. What we learn about ourselves on and off-field will set us up well for the Rugby World Cup in 2027.”

New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Lancaster framed the tour in historical terms, noting it represents the first full-scale tour of its kind in 30 years, since Sean Fitzpatrick’s ‘Incomparables’ claimed the All Blacks’ maiden series victory in South Africa in 1996. Around 3,000 fans are expected to travel, the majority from New Zealand, with a reciprocal South African tour of New Zealand confirmed for 2030.

The Springboks, who also swept their Nations Championship opponents in Wales, Scotland and England, named a 43-man squad under Rassie Erasmus last week. Both sides enter the series in formidable form, setting the stage for what promises to be a defining chapter in the rivalry — and a crucial staging post on the road to the 2027 World Cup.

All Blacks squad — Greatest Rivalry Tour

Hookers: Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes, 22 caps), Codie Taylor (Crusaders, 109), Samisoni Taukei’aho (Chiefs, 44), George Bell (Crusaders, 4).

Props: Ethan de Groot (Highlanders, 43), George Bower (Crusaders, 26), Xavier Numia (Hurricanes, 2), Ollie Norris (Chiefs, 3), Tyrel Lomax (Hurricanes, 51), Fletcher Newell (Crusaders, 37), Pasilio Tosi (Hurricanes, 17), Siale Lauaki* (Hurricanes, 0).

Locks: Tupou Vaa’i (Chiefs, 47), Patrick Tuipulotu (Blues, 57), Josh Lord (Chiefs, 15), Sam Darry (Blues, 10), Fabian Holland (Highlanders, 12).

Loose forwards: Peter Lakai (Hurricanes, 10), Simon Parker (Chiefs, 8), Ethan Blackadder (Crusaders, 14), Luke Jacobson (Chiefs, 27), Anton Segner (Blues, 2), Ardie Savea (c) (Moana Pasifika, 109), Wallace Sititi (Chiefs, 21), Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa* (Moana Pasifika, 0).

Halfbacks: Cameron Roigard (Hurricanes, 20), Cortez Ratima (Chiefs, 24), Kyle Preston (Crusaders, 1).

First five-eighths: Ruben Love (Hurricanes, 8), Beauden Barrett (Blues, 144), Damian McKenzie (Chiefs, 77), Josh Jacomb* (Chiefs, 0).

Midfielders: Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes, 81), Quinn Tupaea (Chiefs, 26), Billy Proctor (Hurricanes, 13), Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs, 90), Timoci Tavatavanawai (Highlanders, 2).

Outside backs: Caleb Clarke (Blues, 35), Fehi Fineanganofo (Hurricanes, 1), Leroy Carter (Chiefs, 7), Josh Moorby (Hurricanes, 2), Will Jordan (Crusaders, 57), Rieko Ioane (Blues, 88), Emoni Narawa (Chiefs, 4).

*denotes uncapped

Unavailable due to injury: Tamaiti Williams, Scott Barrett, Leicester Fainga’anuku.

Greatest Rivalry Tour fixtures

Saturday 8 August: All Blacks v Stormers, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Wednesday 12 August: All Blacks v Sharks, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Sunday 16 August: All Blacks v Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Sunday 23 August: All Blacks v Springboks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg (first Test)
Wednesday 26 August: All Blacks v Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Sunday 30 August: All Blacks v Springboks, DHL Stadium, Cape Town (second Test)
Sunday 6 September: All Blacks v Springboks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg (third Test)
Sunday 13 September: All Blacks v Springboks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (fourth Test)