Springbok fans have poked fun at the All Blacks ahead of this weekend’s huge Test after the number of foreign-born players in New Zealand’s squad was highlighted.
South Africa and New Zealand renew their rivalry at Ellis Park on Saturday in the opening Test of their four-match Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
And ahead of the blockbuster clash, the backgrounds of several All Blacks stars have become a talking point among Springbok supporters.
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Players in the wider New Zealand group were born across Australia, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Germany and the Netherlands, prompting tongue-in-cheek comparisons to a “World XV”.
Of course, simply describing these players as imports would be misleading.
Several moved to New Zealand as children or teenagers and came through the country’s rugby system before eventually pulling on the famous black jersey.
Here are the overseas-born All Blacks involved in the current setup.
1. Samisoni Taukei’aho – Tonga
The powerful hooker was born in Tonga before moving to New Zealand as a teenager.
Taukei’aho attended St Paul’s Collegiate School in Hamilton before progressing through Waikato and the Chiefs.
2. Ethan de Groot – Australia
De Groot was born in Australia but moved to New Zealand when he was extremely young.
The loosehead grew up in the South Island and developed through the New Zealand rugby system.
3. Tyrel Lomax – Australia
Lomax was born in Canberra and is the son of former rugby league international John Lomax.
He represented Australia at age-grade level before moving to New Zealand and eventually becoming an All Black.
