Chiefs flanker Simon Parker has made clear the All Blacks are approaching Friday's Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour opener against the Stormers at DHL Stadium with full Test-match intent, dismissing any notion that the non-cap fixture is a relaxed warm-up.
"This isn't a charity so it's not like everyone deserves a crack," Parker said at a media scrum in Cape Town on Monday following the squad's first training session of the week. "You just got to prepare accordingly to your role."
Parker, who has eight Tests to his name with his last appearance coming against Wales in November 2025, missed out entirely during the Nations Championship and is openly competing for his place ahead of the four-Test Springbok series. "I 100 percent want to be in this team," he said.
On the Stormers specifically, Parker acknowledged the squad tracks South African franchise rugby closely, pointing to Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane's time at Leinster as a reference point for URC familiarity. "I wouldn't say we don't watch the South African teams. Plenty of the boys have an interest in the URC games."
He described the 2025/26 URC semifinalists as a "big pack with great backs" but noted the All Blacks have not yet done extensive preparation work on the Sharks, Bulls or Lions ahead of the subsequent legs of the tour.