Can New Zealand’s attacking blueprint unsettle the Springboks?
The All Blacks under Dave Rennie have shown signs that they’re equipped to cause the world champions some problems.
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The opening Test of 'Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry' is set to take place this weekend between South Africa and New Zealand in Johannesburg.
The historic rivalry dates back to 1921, with this Saturday's clash the first of four Tests between the two great rugby nations.
They, of course, met in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in France, where the Springboks narrowly came out on top with a 12-11 win.
That marked a second consecutive World Cup triumph for South Africa in an era where they’ve dominated international rugby and, while it is rather strange to say, as it’s probably the first time this has ever happened, New Zealand head into a series as underdogs.
However, they have had time to prepare against South Africa’s URC teams, and the All Blacks have remained unbeaten.
They started with a 38-21 win over the Stormers in Cape Town before heading to Durban, where they beat the Sharks 54-0. Last Saturday, they finished their trio of warm-up games with a 50-19 victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
This continued a successful opening block under new head coach Dave Rennie, who replaced Scott Robertson at the beginning of 2026 after stints with the Chiefs, Glasgow Warriors, Australia and Japanese club side Kobe Steelers.
Last month, the All Blacks also won their opening three Tests of the Nations Championship against France, Italy and Ireland.
So, what can we expect from New Zealand ahead of 'Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry'?
Injury concerns
Ahead of the first Test, there have been some injury concerns for the tourists involving some key players.
In their win over the Sharks, they lost full-back Damien McKenzie to injury, while Rennie is slightly concerned over the availability of scrum-half Cam Roigard, who pulled out of the matchday squad in Durban due to a tight hamstring.
If they were to lose Roigard, it would be a big blow to Rennie’s side, with the Hurricanes scrum-half being on top form during their successful Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
He started all three of New Zealand’s victories in the Nations Championship and scored a brace of tries against Le Bleus in July.
But Roigard isn’t the only All Black No.9 to pick up an injury, with Chiefs scrum-half Cortez Ratima leaving the field against the Bulls last Saturday.
"He [Ratima] had a scan, it’s a PCL injury, but we are going to see how it is," said Rennie.
"So obviously we are a little bit thin at No.9 as it is, so getting Noah [Hotham] in will be good. We expect Cam to be ready to go in the weekend. We’ve still got KP [Kyle Preston] if Cortez is no good, and we’d need Noah to play on the Tuesday [against the Lions].
"It’s good to get him [Hotham] on. He’s excited. He wasn’t long off the pitch for Tasman when I got hold of him. He’s keen.
"Cam’s played a hell of a lot of rugby this year, so him not playing so much lately is not a bad thing."
Roigard is a key cog in the New Zealand attack, especially when they achieve front-foot ball and quick ball, allowing him to make little snips and inroads into opposing defences.
At 15, if McKenzie is ruled out, it leaves a selection headache for Rennie, with the trio of Beauden Barrett, Josh Moorby and Will Jordan as options.
It would also be the first international Test under the new head coach in which the Chiefs full-back wouldn’t be named in the starting XV.
Assistant coach Tana Umaga is hopeful that McKenzie will be fit for the opening Test after a training session on Tuesday.
“He was sharp today. He got through what he needed to get through. So, he’s trending well for a big one this weekend so that’s all we can ask."
“Our medical staff has done a really good job, as well as our S&C, to make sure that they’re taking every precaution they can, but making sure that he puts his best foot forward to be available for the team."
All Blacks attack coming along nicely
One of the most noticeable parts of the All Blacks’ game during their matches against the URC sides has been their willingness to attack.
In their opener against the Stormers, the Cape Town-based side had the advantage at the set-piece, but the All Blacks were able to do enough with ball in hand to claim victory.
The attack also worked during the Nations Championship, where New Zealand scored 115 points in three Tests.
One of the main attributes of Rennie’s attack is the workload required from the forwards.
They either need to work hard from set-pieces to set up second-phase carries following a hit-up from an inside centre, or ensure they clear the breakdown cleanly to take defenders out of the game and congest the defence.
Interestingly, in the backs, there’s almost a 'standing-still' policy when a player has the ball, meaning that the All Blacks are inviting teams to apply pressure towards the ball carrier.
The idea is that the player on the ball should have the required skillset to make the decision that allows space out wide for others to get on to the ball.
That could work against a Springboks side that’s well known for bringing a very aggressive defensive line in an attempt to stop opposing teams from getting over the gainline.
Outside of trying to narrow defences and create a weakened defensive line, set-piece moves could also come in handy for the All Blacks.
A perfect example comes from their recent match against the Bulls, with a lineout outside the opposing 22.
After initially using the rolling maul, Ratima picks up the ball and passes to flanker Anton Segner, who had been in a similar position for the first two lineouts - and opted to carry straight.
Instead, he passes it on to centre Anton Lienert-Brown, who produces an out-of-back pass to fly-half Josh Jacomb.
In three passes, the All Blacks have narrowed the Bulls’ defence, with wing Thaakir Abrahams flying out of the defensive line to try and stop the attack.
Leroy Carter comes off his wing to support Jacomb, and a short ball allows the former to break and find full-back Barrett, who is able to put a flat pass across to Moorby. The wing beats two defenders to score in the corner.
With the Bulls attempting to bring a similarly aggressive defensive line to that of their national side, you wonder how many more plays New Zealand could have up their sleeve.
Rennie knows he’s up against the best in the world
With many expecting the Springboks to showcase their dominance up front against Rennie’s side this weekend, the set-piece has occasionally been an area of worry for the All Blacks during the tour.
In their opening match against the Stormers in particular, the Cape Town-based side utilised a strong scrummaging platform and scored a couple of tries from a rolling maul.
However, not all is lost for the forward pack of New Zealand, who have seen some noticeable performances during the last fortnight and have made some improvements, particularly through props Ethan De Groot and Tyrel Lomax.
Flanker Segner has been one of those, even if he might miss out on a spot in the test squad behind the impressive Luke Jacobson.
The German-born back row had 12 carries and 13 tackles against the Bulls, while lock Fabian Holland has been a useful force in the lineout since returning from a shoulder injury sustained before the start of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.
But Rennie has been full of praise for Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks.
"They lead a lot of key metrics against all the other teams in the world. They lead in things like winning high balls back, the amount of entries into your 22, the amount of points per entry in your 22.
"It all paints a picture around the fact that you’ve got to limit the amount of times you can let them in there, because they’re the best in the world at converting that pressure into points.
"So denying them opportunities in there will be about discipline and about accuracy. They’ve got a smart kicking game; they can trap you down there. They’ve got a pressure game as well. They’ve got a big pack, and they’re a physical team.
"So, we know what’s coming, but they’ve got a team that can play as well, if they want to. We probably didn’t see that against Argentina [where the Boks recently squeezed out a 17-10 win], but I think the side they pick this week will be a fair bit different."
