Can the South Africa Shield Champions end the all Blacks’ dominance?

It will be Lions vs All Blacks, but this is certainly not the matchup fans might expect. Rather than the British & Irish Lions, it is Johannesburg’s Lions who will take on New Zealand, becoming the fourth and final major South African franchise to face the All Blacks on their tour.

Match News and Current Form

Johannesburg’s Lions made significant progress under head coach Ivan van Rooyen during the 2025/26 URC season, reaching the competition’s knockout stages after an impressive run of form.

The Lions won six consecutive matches between February and April, earning themselves a place in the quarter-finals against eventual champions Leinster. Their campaign ended in disappointing fashion, however, as they suffered a heavy 59-10 defeat.

Despite that setback, the Lions finished the season as South African Shield champions, giving them plenty of reason to be proud of their campaign.

Van Rooyen has largely kept faith with the squad that finished seventh in the URC, while also receiving a boost from the return of Springboks players Quan Horn and Boan Venter.

Horn has been named in the starting XV at fullback, while Venter is expected to make his Lions debut from the bench following his move from Edinburgh. The side will be captained by number eight Francke Horn, with the Lions appearing to have selected a competitive lineup for this historic encounter.

For the All Blacks, this is the fourth and final match of their tour and represents another opportunity for several players to strengthen their claims for the upcoming Test matches.

It is highly unlikely that any of New Zealand’s starters will feature from the beginning in Saturday’s next match, but strong performances could still influence the selection of the second-Test bench or earn fringe players further opportunities later in the tour.

Coach Scott Robertson has praised how effectively his squad has recovered between matches, but a short 72-hour turnaround has forced him to make wholesale changes to his starting XV.

The lineup still contains plenty of experience, including former All Blacks regulars such as Beauden Barrett, Patrick Tuipulotu, Samisoni Taukei’aho and Rieko Ioane.

There is also experience on the bench, with Ofa Tu’ungafasi set to make his 69th international appearance and his first under Robertson.

Head-to-Head History

This will be the first meeting between these two sides this century, adding another interesting element to an already intriguing contest.

Recent statistics suggest the Lions have often started matches strongly, with the URC side scoring the majority of their points before half-time in 12 of their last 18 matches.

Three of their last four URC games also finished below the main total-points line.

New Zealand have shown a similar trend this year, with five of their seven matches finishing below the main total-points handicap. The second half has been the highest-scoring period in five of those seven games.

The All Blacks are also embarking on their first full tour of South Africa since 1996, making this a particularly significant series.

With the tour being billed as one of rugby’s greatest rivalries, there is far more at stake than simple bragging rights. The series could also have a major impact on the battle for World Rugby’s No.1 ranking.

Key Players to Watch

For the Lions, Henco van Wyk will be one of the players to watch closely.

The centre led the team in both defenders beaten and tries scored during the previous URC campaign, recording 47 defenders beaten and eight tries. Those numbers placed him just outside the competition’s top 10 in both categories.

New Zealand have their own dangerous attacking option in Rieko Ioane, who has already made his mark during the tour.

Ioane scored against both the Bulls and Stormers and also crossed the try line against the Lions during the regular URC season.

Missing Players

The Lions will be without Morné van den Berg, who is away on Springboks duty.

For New Zealand, the selection decisions are largely tactical given that this is the final tour match before the next stage of the series.

Ethan de Groot and Josh Lord would probably have been rested for this encounter regardless, although both are also currently dealing with concussion protocols following head knocks suffered during the weekend.

With the Lions coming off a strong URC campaign and New Zealand rotating heavily, this could provide Johannesburg with a rare opportunity to challenge the All Blacks.

The big question is whether the South African Shield champions can take advantage of New Zealand’s weakened lineup and finally end the All Blacks’ dominance.