All Blacks: Ardie Savea’s injury and a series that leaves questions

On the podcast, Danpat and Cristian Lovisetto go back over the All Blacks’ summer series against the Springboks with more than one question mark. In the first test, New Zealand led 22-0 after a quarter of an hour and lost 38-22, “because at some point they mentally let go of the game”. The third test followed a similar pattern: the All Blacks controlled the first half, but in the second, captain Ardie Savea injured his shoulder in a collision with Jasper Wiese and left the field; another player was injured in the same match. From there, the hosts say, the Springboks “cashed in” their chances and completed the comeback.

Beyond the single incident, for Danpat and Lovisetto the All Blacks’ real problem is squad depth: losing players like Savea or centre Quinn Tupaea means losing decisive quality in matches at that level, and their replacements haven’t yet shown they can offer the same impact. Credit is still given to new head coach Scott Robertson, in charge since the summer, who has already shown clear progress since taking over.

Source: “La stagione del Mondiale” episode of Divagazioni di Rugby, with Cristian Lovisetto (DanPat Rugby, 8 September 2026). Details on Ardie Savea’s injury (collision with Jasper Wiese, ruled out for the rest of the 2026 season) checked against New Zealand media reports.

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