Dave Rennie says New Zealand's first full-scale tour of South Africa in 30 years will serve as a genuine development tool for his side, speaking at a welcome event at Cape Town Stadium on Friday ahead of the All Blacks' opening match against the Stormers next week.
The tour includes fixtures against all four major SA franchises alongside four tests against the Springboks — three on South African soil before a finale in Baltimore on September 12. Rennie pointed to the provincial matches as particularly valuable for squad depth.
"We've got midweek games so everyone gets a chance to play. Sometimes when you're away on tour some guys will train but never get a chance to wear the jersey. So playing the provincial sides is great for the whole squad."
On the four-test format against the same opponent, Rennie sees a learning opportunity that a World Cup knockout structure does not offer. "We'll be playing the same team four times, so you review and preview and hopefully learn a few things and hopefully do things better in the next game."
Rennie, who took charge in March, tempered optimism about his side's Nations Championship form — which included a win over Ireland — framing it as progress rather than arrival. "We're building, we're a new side. We've got a lot of new staff and we've got a lot of new young players. It was a good performance, but we're well aware of how tough this challenge is."
He was candid about his respect for the Springboks' depth, noting their convincing win over Scotland despite significant changes to the starting lineup.
Test captain Ardie Savea remains the only absentee from the 44-man squad, having been granted additional rest following a heavy workload. He is due to join the group before the first test in Johannesburg on August 22, with tour captain Codie Taylor leading in the interim.
More than 2,000 supporters — the majority in All Blacks jerseys — turned out for the welcome event at Cape Town Stadium, a reception that caught Taylor off guard. "I knew we had fans here, but I didn't expect this much support."
The last full All Blacks tour of South Africa was in 1996, when they became the first New Zealand side to win a series on South African soil. In the 12 series between the two nations across both countries, touring teams have won only once each — South Africa in New Zealand in 1937, and the All Blacks in 1996.