New Zealand have called up Ofa Tu'ungafasi and Jamie Hannah to cover for injured pair Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord ahead of the All Blacks' midweek clash against the Lions at Ellis Park.
New Zealand have added prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi and lock Jamie Hannah to their touring squad ahead of Wednesday's match against the Lions at Ellis Park, with both players covering for injury concerns that emerged during Saturday's 33-16 first Test win over the Springboks.
Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord both picked up injuries in that opening Test and are being monitored through World Rugby concussion protocols, with their availability for the remainder of the tour still to be determined.
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
Jean de Villiers acknowledges Hansen's logic but argues last year's results and performances make it hard to see the All Blacks closing the gap on the Boks — and the panel get genuinely animated over what a 2-2 series tiebreaker would even look like.
The boys love that New Zealand keep picking their second-best, long may it continue.
Jeff Wilson has publicly identified loosehead prop as the All Blacks' most dangerous weakness ahead of four consecutive Tests against the Springboks — with Williams likely out, Tu'ungafasi's future uncertain, and the remaining options short on caps and experience. Set against the depth Erasmus has built across the prop positions, this piece maps out why scrum time could be where the Greatest Rivalry Series is decided.
Stephen Donald backs Hansen's anti-copycat argument, saying Robertson erred by chasing the Springbok blueprint rather than New Zealand's tempo-based strengths — and expects Rennie to correct that course ahead of a blockbuster four-Test series in South Africa.