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All Blacks draw 4,000 fans to DHL Stadium welcome ahead of SA tour opener

More than 4,000 fans welcomed the All Blacks at DHL Stadium in Cape Town ahead of their South African tour, with stand-in captain Codie Taylor and coach Dave Rennie both struck by the reception. The tourists face the Stormers on 7 August in their tour opener.

The All Blacks received a striking reception in Cape Town on Friday, with more than 4,000 fans turning out for a 'Welcome to Country' event at DHL Stadium ahead of their eight-match South African tour.

Hooker Codie Taylor, captaining the squad in Ardie Savea's absence, admitted the scale of the welcome caught the tourists off guard. "I knew we had fans here, but I didn't expect this sort of reception from so many people," he said. "We take a lot of pride in being a rugby nation ourselves, but I think we are being trumped."

Head coach Dave Rennie described Cape Town as an ideal starting point for the tour. "I know how often the players talked about the support the Super Rugby teams and the All Blacks used to get here. It's an awesome place to start our campaign."

Taylor acknowledged Savea's workload as the reason for the skipper's rest. "Ardie has been playing a lot of rugby over the last 18 months or so and he deserves a break. We have a massive calendar and I don't think it starts any harder than coming to play South Africa and the club teams."

The All Blacks open their tour against the Stormers at DHL Stadium on Friday, 7 August.

Sources

Rugby365https://rugby365.com/countries/new-zealand/i-didnt-expect-this-reception-all-blacks-get-heros-welcome-in-cape-town/

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