All Blacks rest key trio before Springboks Test

The All Blacks will be without several leading players for Saturday’s clash with the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld as head coach Dave Rennie manages his squad ahead of the opening Test against the Springboks.

Cam Roigard, Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie are all unavailable, although New Zealand expect the trio to be in contention for the Test series.

All Blacks Protect Key Players for Springboks

Roigard remains sidelined after experiencing calf tightness, with Rennie confident his first-choice scrum-half should recover in time to face South Africa at Ellis Park on August 22.

Jordan is yet to feature on the South African tour because of a minor back problem. He had initially been targeted for the Sharks match before New Zealand decided he required additional recovery and training time.

McKenzie will also miss the Bulls fixture after suffering an ankle injury during Tuesday’s 54-0 victory over the Sharks in Durban.

Rennie Rotates Squad for Bulls Clash

The All Blacks matchday 23 contains 14 players who featured in the opening 38-21 victory over the Stormers and six who were involved against the Sharks.

Codie Taylor returns from injury to captain the side, while Patrick Tuipulotu and Fabian Holland will gain valuable match time at altitude.

Josh Jacomb starts at fly-half, with Beauden Barrett moving to full-back.

Richie Mo’unga Adds All Blacks Cover

The injuries have further highlighted the value of Richie Mo’unga’s recall after Billy Proctor was ruled out with a fractured shoulder blade.

Rennie said much of New Zealand’s full-back cover comes from players who can also operate at fly-half, making Mo’unga’s addition particularly useful.

“We need to get decent training into him [Will Jordan], a decent training week next week.

“The original plan was to play him against the Sharks, and he wasn’t good for that. We thought we would give him game time this week, but he’s not quite right.

“With Damian injuring his ankle, he’s also not available for the Bulls, but we’re expecting him to be okay for the Test.

“Most of our 15 cover comes from 10, so that just reaffirms the importance of bringing someone like Richie [Mo’unga] in.”

The Bulls match represents the All Blacks’ final fixture before their four-Test Greatest Rivalry series against the Springboks begins in Johannesburg.