Tu'ungafasi ruled out of All Blacks' Lions clash with illness hours after arrival

Ofa Tu’ungafasi has been ruled out of the All Blacks’ midweek fixture against the British and Irish Lions after falling ill shortly after landing in South Africa, costing New Zealand 66 Tests of front-row experience from their bench.

The 34-year-old prop had only touched down on Monday morning, called up as an emergency replacement after loosehead Ethan de Groot suffered a concussion during Saturday’s 33-16 victory over the Springboks. Head coach Dave Rennie had immediately named Tu’ungafasi at No.17 for Tuesday evening’s clash with the Lions, but the veteran was withdrawn before he could take the field. Xavier Numia steps up to fill the vacancy on the reserves bench.

Tu’ungafasi’s absence is a significant blow to New Zealand’s front-row depth. The prop had not featured in All Blacks colours since the 2024 northern tour, with a neck injury disrupting his 2025 season entirely. His late call-up had offered a welcome boost of experience to a squad already managing personnel challenges — his withdrawal removes that buffer at a critical point in the tour.

New Zealand’s updated starting XV sees Siale Lauaki at loosehead, Samisoni Taukei’aho at hooker, and Pasilio Tosi at tighthead, with Beauden Barrett at fullback and Richie Mo’unga pulling the strings at fly-half. Rieko Ioane starts at centre alongside Timoci Tavatavanawai, while Semisi Ta’eiloa carries the No.8 jersey.

The bench, now featuring Numia in place of Tu’ungafasi, reads: Bradley Slater, Saula Ma’u, Jamie Hannah, Peter Lakai, Kyle Preston, Josh Jacomb, and Anton Lienert-Brown.