“All Blacks’ South Africa Tour: Tuipulotu and Perofeta Out, Rising Stars to Step Up”
Tuipulotu and Stephen Perofeta will not join the All Blacks on their trip to South Africa, while Josh Lord and Harry Plummer will stay with the team for two tests against the Springboks.
Tuipulotu, who returned to the All Blacks after a knee injury in Super Rugby Pacific, has been unavailable since last month and missed the San Diego match against Fiji. He sustained a calf injury during a win over England and was replaced by Blues teammate Sam Darry, who has excelled alongside Tupou Vaa’i in recent tests against Argentina.
Lord, 23, will stay with the All Blacks due to Tuipulotu’s ongoing absence. He had come off the bench in the Argentina test at Eden Park. Tuipulotu’s absence is somewhat balanced by the return of Scott Barrett, who missed the Argentina tests due to a finger injury sustained against Fiji.
Perofeta remains in New Zealand to recover from a calf injury, while Plummer will stay to cover the No 10 and No 12 positions. Plummer, who was crucial for the Blues during their Super Rugby title win, is one of only two uncapped players in the 36-man squad for the tour, alongside Hurricanes fullback Ruben Love.