All Blacks hopeful of three key returns for Springboks Test

New Zealand coach Dave Rennie expects Cam Roigard, Will Jordan and Damian McKenzie to be available when the All Blacks face the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The match will be the opening Test of the Greatest Rivalry tour, with New Zealand having endured a difficult build-up because of injuries.

First-choice scrum-half Roigard and influential winger Jordan have yet to feature on the tour. McKenzie, who can play at fullback, was forced to leave the field during the All Blacks’ second tour match against the Sharks last Tuesday.

Rennie offered an encouraging update on all three players when speaking over the weekend, although he acknowledged that McKenzie remained the biggest doubt ahead of the meeting with South Africa.

“Both Will and Cam got through a bit of training yesterday, and we’re pretty confident they’re going to be right,” Rennie said.

“Yeah, look, we’re probably less confident about Damian, [I] still think he’s a good chance to play on the weekend. Hopefully he can train well on Tuesday.

“So, yeah, the expectation is that all three of those guys will be available.”

The All Blacks are therefore hopeful of restoring three important members of their squad for a match that will begin at 19:00 on Saturday.

Jordan’s absence has deprived New Zealand of one of their principal options on the wing, while Roigard has not yet been able to take his place at scrum-half during the tour. McKenzie’s situation will be monitored through training on Tuesday after his early departure against the Sharks.

Rennie’s comments suggest the All Blacks are preparing for the possibility that all three players could return for the first Test against the Springboks, although his assessment of McKenzie was more cautious than his outlook for Roigard and Jordan.

The injury concerns have added to the challenges facing New Zealand during the tour, but the potential availability of the trio would provide a significant boost before the opening contest of the Greatest Rivalry series.

The Springboks are also finalising their preparations for Saturday’s encounter. Their coach, Rassie Erasmus, has been given more time to make important selection decisions before the match at Ellis Park.

Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00.