Barbarians stacked with South African force provide big test for Jamie Joseph’s All Blacks XV

Friday, 31 October 2025

Jamie Joseph’s All Blacks XV team will get a rare taste of South African force when starting their northern tour against Pat Lam’s Barbarians outfit in London on Sunday (NZ time).

Sixteen of the Baabaas’ 23 are South African. Six of those capped are Springboks, including two-time Rugby World Cup-winning hooker Bongi Mbonambi.

Joseph is coaching the developmental Kiwi team for the first time and seemed taken aback by the heavy South African influence that awaits at GTech Stadium.

The fixture with the storied invitational team will nonetheless be an ideal test for an aspiring group of Kiwi forwards, captained by 37-test All Blacks loose forward Dalton Papali’i, who face a starting pack with six South Africans.

Mbonambi joins capped No 8 Evan Roos and promising Springboks prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye (two tests), locks Ernest van Ryhn and Ruben van Heerden, with loose forward Hanro Liebenberg as captain. The last three are uncapped but have vast experience of playing in Europe.

Quite the clash for Joseph’s starting front eight of Papali’i, Devan Flanders, Kaylum Boshier, Caleb Delany, Josh Beehre, George Dyer, Jack Taylor and Xavier Numia.

“It provides a great opportunity, particularly for our tight five who are relatively young. They’re not inexperienced, but in terms of playing these blokes, it’s a lot of firsts,” Joseph said.

“Bongi has 80-odd caps and is a really experienced hooker. Ours [Taylor] is 22, a young man, and is relishing that opportunity. Those are the kind of match-ups that we have.”

Other capped Springboks are No 10 Rob du Preez, reserve hooker Andre-Hugo Venter (one cap each) and two-test replacement lock Cobus Wiese.

Whether they can all blend as one for Lam’s Barbarians is another matter, with limited training and a great focus on team bonding in social events after dark.

“There will be a hybrid of a lot of set-piece play and Pat’s attacking rugby will come through. It lends itself nicely to the Baabaas’ style of footy,” Joseph said.

Still, South Africans are considered the benchmark in rugby’s physical grind. That attrition is not letting up in the modern game. The Springboks have set the standard in winning the last two World Cups.

The burly, spiteful Mbonambi, 34, was in South Africa’s Rugby Championship squad but has fallen out of favour.

The next generation of All Blacks are less exposed to meeting the South Africans on a regular basis. Previously, they would in Super Rugby.

That hasn’t been the case since the South African teams went north to Europe after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Questions over the physical durability of the next wave of All Blacks remain, heightened by last month’s record 43-10 defeat against the Springboks in Wellington.

Papali’i, 28, is old enough to recall facing South African teams with the Blues in Super Rugby.

“I was pretty lucky in my first years to travel to South Africa. Man, they were some of the best tours of your life,” Papali’i said.

“Jamie Joseph touched on it in one of our team meetings. If you really want to establish yourself as a world-class player, it’s the South Africans you need to show up against.

“It’s an awesome opportunity, knowing they’ve got a lot of experience, but other guys have also played international level.”

Joseph added: “That’s part of touring that’s perhaps gone missing a little bit. Prior to Covid, there were guys travelling to Argentina for Super Rugby and going to South Africa,” Joseph said.

“Getting an opportunity to come to Europe is invaluable for the boys.”

The Barbarians’ only non-South Africans are Scotland test prop Oli Kebble, English openside flanker Fitz Harding, Welsh halfback Rhodri Williams, 92-test Argentina centre Matias Moroni, England fullback Max Mallins, Irish prop Jack Aungier and ex-All Blacks halfback Brad Weber.

As for the All Blacks XV, three more capped All Blacks will take on the Baabaas.

David Havili starts at second five-eighth. Kyle Preston and Braydon Ennor are the reserve halfback and outside back respectively.

Joseph said some All Blacks on the fringes of Scott Robertson’s travelling squad might be made available for his team in their coming matches against an England A side and Uruguay.

“Part of the team’s role is to ensure there are playing opportunities for the All Blacks,” Joseph said.

“That might happen and is certainly the plan at some stage in the next two or three weeks.”

Candidates from the All Blacks needing playing minutes include playmaker Ruben Love and loose forward Luke Jacobson.

Other players in Joseph’s squad are also vying for promotion to Robertson’s top team.

He said he was hoping to give everyone in his initial squad a run on their tour, with the likes of Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Christian Lio-Willie, Folau Fakatava and Chay Fihaki not selected for their opening match.

Joseph, also the Highlanders coach, has given his Super Rugby wing Caleb Tangitau a start. No 10 Josh Jacomb and halfback Xavier Roe are also pushing to make the All Blacks ahead of the next World Cup in Australia in 2027.

Chiefs No 9 Roe will represent his first national team since playing for New Zealand’s under-20s in 2018.

“It’s obviously a feeder team to the All Blacks,” he said.

“Any time you get to pull on the black jersey is a special one, no matter who you are. That’s what it is for me.”

All Blacks XV v Barbarians

All Blacks XV: Jacob Ratumatavuki-Kneepkens, Caleb Tangitau, Daniel Rona, David Havili, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Josh Jacomb, Xavier Roe; Devan Flanders, Dalton Papali’i (capt), Kaylum Boshier, Caleb Delany, Josh Beehre, George Dyer, Jack Taylor, Xavier Numia. Reserves: Bradley Slater, Josh Fusitua, Siale Lauaki, Jamie Hannah, Sean Withy, Kyle Preston, Rivez Reihana, Braydon Ennor.

Barbarians: Max Mallins, Werner Kok, Matias Moroni, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Leolin Zas, Rob du Preez, Rhodri Williams; Evan Roos, Fitz Harding, Hanro Liebenberg (capt), Ruben van Heerden, Ernest van Ryhn, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Bongi Mbonambi, Oli Kebble. Reserves: Andre-Hugo Venter, Alistair Vermaak, Jack Aungier, Cobus Wiese, Batho Hlekani, Brad Weber, Dan du Plessis, Rhyno Smith.

All Blacks XV schedule

Sunday, November 2: v Barbarians, Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford, kickoff 2.15am NZT.

Sunday, November 9: v England A, The Recreational Ground, Bath, kickoff 2.15am NZT

Sunday, November 16: v Uruguay, Stade Raoul Barrière, France, kickoff 4am NZT.