Dave Rennie has confirmed that Ardie Savea will not feature against the Bulls but will join the touring party in South Africa ten days before the first Test against the Springboks on August 22 in Johannesburg.
Savea has been given a mandatory rest period after what Rennie described as roughly 18 months of continuous top-level rugby. "He's been playing and training since January 2025," Rennie said at a media briefing at DHL Stadium on Friday. "We just wanted him to take some time out."
43 of the 44-man touring squad arrived in Cape Town via three separate routes — through Hong Kong, Singapore and Perth respectively — after the original Dubai routing was abandoned two to three months ago due to the situation in the Gulf. Savea will fly in after the Sharks fixture.
The All Blacks' seven-match programme runs from August 7 to September 5, taking in fixtures against the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions alongside three Tests against the Springboks, before a fourth and final Test in Baltimore on September 12.
Rennie indicated the squad will travel as a single unit throughout the tour rather than splitting groups between host cities. "We won't leave a group here or send another group ahead," he said. "We'll be in the city and be in the stands supporting each other."