The All Blacks start their eight-match tour against the Stormers at the Cape Town Stadium and will play two more provincial franchise teams – the Sharks in Durban and the Bulls in Pretoria – before the first test against the Springboks in Johannesburg on August 22.
“We've sort of picked the teams to play in these games, but we've already made some little changes based a little bit on injury," Rennie told a press conference on Wednesday.
“It gives us a chance to create competition for places for that first Test side. The fact that everyone will get to play, it's a real buzz within the group.
“If you look at this first game, there are a number of guys who have returned from injury recently or didn't play a massive amount of footy in that Nations Championship series," the coach added.
“But if you look at the side, it's pretty experienced too. You know, you’ve got guys like Beauden Barrett playing, who didn't play a part last month but has been training out of his skin and ready to go. We think it's a really good blend, it's a strong side.”
Rennie is looking to build on New Zealand’s wins over France, Italy and Ireland last month.
“We've had a little bit more time together and that's been good, but there are some new combinations and we're going to play against a side (Stormers) that is very competitive," he said.
“They’ll be excited about the potential of an international scalp and, so that makes them dangerous.
“A lot of this is just about us getting better. We've got a test match just around the corner and we know we'll need to be better against the Springboks than we were in the previous three tests.”
The All Blacks are embarking upon their first full tour of South Africa since 1996! Marketed as the 'Greatest Rivalry' series, the winner will come out not only with the bragging rights but World Rugby's number one ranking. Keep up to date throughout August and September with news, previews and more.
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