The Albany Gazette - Full-scale tour will benefit All Blacks, says coach Rennie

He was speaking on the sidelines of an All Blacks welcome event at Cape Town Stadium, the venue for the team's opening match against the Stormers next Friday.

The All Blacks will play against South Africa's four major professional franchises as well as four Tests against the world champion Springboks.

South Africa edged the All Blacks 12-11 in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final to win the competition a record fourth time.

After three Tests in South Africa from August 22, the teams will travel to Baltimore in the United States for the final clash on September 12.

"It's completely different from a World Cup," said Rennie. "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.

"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."

Rennie, 62, said he was pleased with the form of the All Blacks since becoming head coach in March. Like the Springboks, the All Blacks took full points from their first three matches in the new Nations Championship.

- 'We're building' -

Their wins included an impressive victory against a powerful Ireland team, but Rennie downplayed their achievement.

"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."

Rennie said he was impressed with the depth of the Springboks.

"The team they put out against Scotland had a lot of changes," said Rennie. "Scotland are an excellent side, but they (South Africa) won convincingly."

The only member of the 44-man squad not yet in Cape Town is Test captain Ardie Savea, who has been given time off after "a massive workload".

The loose forward will arrive before the first Test in Johannesburg on August 22.

Hooker Codie Taylor, the tour captain until Savea arrives, said he was surprised by the number of All Blacks supporters who turned up for the welcome event.

A crowd of more than 2,000, many wearing All Blacks jerseys, gave the New Zealanders a raucous welcome.

"I knew we had fans here, but I didn't expect this much support," said Taylor.

It is the first full tour involving rugby's two leading nations since the All Blacks visited South Africa in 1996, and became the first New Zealand team to win a series in the republic.

The upcoming series renews a tradition of reciprocal tours which started when South Africa toured New Zealand in 1921.

There have been six series in New Zealand and six in South Africa.

Touring teams have won only one series each on foreign soil -- South Africa in New Zealand in 1937 and the All Blacks in South Africa in 1996.

(L.Thomas--TAG)