All Blacks prop to miss South Africa tour

By Will Toogood

The All Blacks will be without prop Ethan de Groot for their two tests in South Africa as he has not recovered from a neck injury suffered two weeks ago.

George Bower comes in to the squad as injury cover for the two-match tour to Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The 26-year-old was subbed after 59 minutes in the shock 38-30 defeat to Argentina in Wellington and did not take the field at Eden Park when the All Blacks demolished Argentina 42-10.

Bower has had a torrid run with injuries of his own, missing the bulk of the 2023 season with a knee issue.

The first match of the All Blacks v Springboks series is on 31 August with the two sides doing battle for the first time since the Rugby World Cup final.

The South Africans head into the series after taking two wins against the Wallabies to open their Rugby Championship campaingn.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission