Who will be Dave Rennie's starting 10 for All Blacks vs Springboks?

Tries from Josh Moorby, Codie Taylor, Leroy Carter, Rieko Ioane and Wallace Satiti, and conversions from Beauden Barrett and Josh Jacomb as the All Blacks form continues following the Sharks game.

The high altitude of Loftus Versfeld Stadium did not phase the All Blacks in any way. They picked up from the staggering Sharks win and played with the same high intensity and attacking speed. Leroy Carter on the right wing was excellent, scoring two tries and being involved in multiple tries.

Josh Moorby on the other side was also dangerous, scoring two as the All Blacks again attacked the wings to score. Another brace from Cody Taylor as captain in his 110^th game. Anton Segner stands out for the forwards as he won three turnovers and held up a potential try to highlight his incredible defensive performance.

Peter Lakai and Xavier Numia also provided valuable defensive efforts in possibly the All Blacks most clinical and disciplined defensive performance of the tour. Crunch time starts as the All Blacks face the Springboks in the first test on August 22^nd.

TRIES: 8 (Moorby 13’, 18’, Taylor 31’, 40’, Carter 43’, 65’, Ioane 48’, Sititi 76’)
CONVERSIONS: 5 (Barrett 19’, Jacomb 41’, 49’, 66’, 77’)
PENALTIES: 0

DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 0
RED CARDS: 0

TRIES: 3 (Vermaak 41’, Jacobs 53’, Coetzee 72’)

CONVERSIONS: 2 (Bosch 42’, 73’)

PENALTIES: 0

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Klopper 28’)

RED CARDS: 0

Richie Mo’unga’s arrival into the squad poses more questions about who will be starting at number 10 for the All Blacks. Beauden Barrett will likely continue at fullback with Damian McKenzie’s injury, and Josh Jacomb, who was promising tonight, has only played two games for the All Blacks. Tonight, neither had an impressive conversion performance, with Barrett going 1/2 before he was switched for Jacomb who went 4/6.

Richie was not initially called into the squad for the tour but has come as injury replacement for Billy Proctor who got injured in the first game against the Stormers. In a press conference, Dave Rennie stated that Mo’unga is “the obvious choice as replacement. His Job now is to get in and learn our systems, get his head around the detail and earn the right to play.” This suggests that while he is not ready now, he should have a big role later on in the tour.

However, with his late arrival and with Jacomb and Barrett not performing up to standard, Ruben Love will likely be starting at number 10 for the first test. His rich vein of form, topped off with his outstanding performance against the Sharks, means he will have a very big role in this tour, and with it being his first major overseas tour, he is one to watch out for.

After a shaky opening game against the Stormers, the All Blacks have bounced back and been clinical defensively for the last two games. Tonight especially, the All Blacks were outstanding. Eight penalties conceded, and a 91% tackle completion rate are promising numbers, highlighting the performances of the entire back line, and numbers that if replicated against the Springboks, can put the All Blacks in dominant territory.

The star of the show was Anton Segner, who was named man of the match. In today’s game, he won three turnovers, held up a potential try, and was everywhere in the defensive line. The 25-year-old, having only played a couple games for the All Blacks, put his hand up and showed why he should be featuring heavy in the upcoming tests.

Peter Lakai was again on point, carrying on from his stellar game against the Stormers, and Xavier Numia was looking like the best player on the pitch before being substituted at the half. The rest of the forward pack, the subs, and the backs too all defended with huge pressure against a Bulls team who looked hungry to upset the All Blacks.

Against a physically strong and rapid team like the Springboks, the All Blacks defence and discipline will be the main decider between winning or losing. They will have to match the intensity, soak up the pressure from the Springboks and the crowds, and play some darn good rugby for the three tests.

Will Jordan has not featured in the three tour games as he recovers from a minor injury. Dave Rennie and the All Blacks are wishing he is fit in time for the first test, but he is still in doubt. Whilst New Zealand’s highest try scorer’s absence is worrying for fans and staff, the young wingers in his place have stepped up massively.

Leroy Carter today was a man of the match contender with two tries, an assist to Rieko Ioane, and being involved and dangerous in the build up of most tries. He was great on defence too, stopping attacks down his flank and halting breaks many times. Carter also started and scored one try against the Stormers in the first game of the tour.

Along with Carter, Fehi Fineanganofo is a worthy candidate to start at right wing. Against the Sharks, he also put up a man of the match worthy performance, also with two tries, multiple line breaks, rapid speed and lockdown defending in the All Black’s 54-0 win.

Both players have been key to the All Blacks wins as Dave Rennie looks to attack the wings. While both new to the side, they have been extremely impressive and have provided strong cases for having meaningful minutes against the Springboks. Depending on Jordan’s availability, either will likely start against the Springboks in the first test, and in the future tests too. Time will tell if they can rise up to the challenge in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.

One of the main reasons the All Blacks have been able to dominate their tour games is because of Dave Rennie’s adaptability. His change in tactics to the conditions, opposing team’s strengths and weaknesses, his lineups and subs, and ability to swing the momentum back in the All Blacks favour has been outstanding.

Against the Stormers, the All Blacks were physical, slow on the attack, and not disciplined, however they picked it up in the final 20 minutes to seal the victory. Against the Sharks, it was all about speed and challenging the Sharks with high pressure from kicks. Today, it was a mix of both.

The All Blacks forwards were physically dominant defensively, in scrums, and in line outs. They shut out the Bulls, who only had one line break, and seemingly shut them out the game. The backs played with that same speed, quick passes and flair from the Sharks game, tiring out the Bulls in the thin air of Pretoria’s high altitude.

However, his substitutions tonight were outstanding. With the forwards playing a tiring game, he substituted the front four three early in the second half, along with Patrick Tuipulotu and Peter Lakai, to preserve energy and to keep everyone sharp and ready for if they are needed. All subs made heavy impacts, and kept momentum rolling for the All Blacks as they passed 50 for the second game in a row.

This shows Rennie’s adaptability has been flawless so far, and should give All Blacks fans confidence going into the first test.

In his 110^th game for the All Blacks, Codie Taylor was named captain for the first time. A huge moment for him and his family, and a testament to his service to the All Blacks for over 11 years. Not only was tonight an emotional one for him, but he was one of the standout players.

He scored two tries late into the first half, extending the All Blacks lead to 24-0. Defensively he was excellent, constantly being involved in tackles, and was a force bringing the ball up the field. Whilst he was hooked at halftime, he should be starting and playing more minutes against the Springboks.