During a session in Cape Town, George Bell, a hooker for the Crusaders and the All Blacks, sustained a calf injury. This mishap has ruled him out for the next four to six weeks, leading to his early departure back home.
Following this injury, Rennie called up Bradley Slater, a 27-year-old hooker from Taranaki and the Blues, who is joining the team ranks for the first time. Notably, Slater comes from a family with a strong rugby heritage; his father Andy is a Taranaki rugby icon, and his uncle Gordon Slater formerly played for the All Blacks.
Bradley Slater’s rugby journey has been impressive, evolving from his school days at New Plymouth Boys' High School, where he excelled in both rugby and cricket, to playing over 60 games for the Chiefs until 2025. His recent performances earned him spots on the All Blacks XV team in the past two years.
"We are all gutted for George, to be ruled out of the tour so early," said All Blacks Head Coach Dave Rennie. "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."
The All Blacks squad has been updated to accommodate these changes, reflecting the team’s depth and the dynamic nature of international rugby. Here are the players representing New Zealand for the forthcoming matches:
All Blacks updated squad:
Hookers:
1. Asafo Aumua
2. Codie Taylor
3. Samisoni Taukei’aho
4. Bradley Slater
Props:
5. Ethan De Groot
6. George Bower
7. Xavier Numia
8. Ollie Norris
9. Tyrel Lomax
10. Fletcher Newell
11. Pasilio Tosi
12. Siale Lauaki
Locks:
13. Tupou Vaa’i
14. Patrick Tuipulotu
15. Josh Lord
16. Sam Darry
17. Fabian Holland
Loose Forwards:
18. Peter Lakai
19. Simon Parker
20. Ethan Blackadder
21. Luke Jacobson
22. Anton Segner
23. Ardie Savea (c)
24. Wallace Sititi
25. Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa
Half-backs:
26. Cameron Roigard
27. Cortez Ratima
28. Kyle Preston
Fly-halves:
29. Ruben Love
30. Beauden Barrett
31. Damian McKenzie
32. Josh Jacomb
Midfielders:
33. Jordie Barrett
34. Quinn Tupaea
35. Billy Proctor
36. Anton Lienert-Brown
37. Timoci Tavatavanawai
Outside Backs:
38. Caleb Clarke
39. Fehi Fineanganofo
40. Leroy Carter
41. Josh Moorby
42. Will Jordan
43. Rieko Ioane
44. Emoni Narawa
The tour continues with a series of matches against prominent South African teams, culminating in a series of test matches that are sure to captivate rugby fans around the world.
