Justin Marshall believes the All Blacks have what it takes to tour South Africa in 2026 and “replicate” what the team of 1996 achieved.
The 1996 All Blacks were the first team from New Zealand to win a Test series in South Africa.
Speaking on the The Good, The Bad & The Rugby Australia & New Zealand podcast, Marshall was asked if the All Blacks have the firepower required to compete against the world champion Springboks in South Africa.
He answered: “Look, are the All Blacks as good as South Africa at the moment? Hell no, they’re not. Wellington showed that.”
“They did compete at Eden Park, which is a positive, but it was a different style of game because you got a different, completely different piece than Wellington when Rassie [Erasmus] made the changes he made.
“But man, I’m already fired up about this tour. I’m already excited about it,” he added. “And I certainly feel that the All Blacks are capable of going there and replicating what we did in 1996, you know… the Incomparables.”
The 1996 All Blacks side was led by Sean Fitzpatrick and featured stellar names like Zinzan Brooke, Michael Jones, Josh Kronfeld, Christian Cullen, Jeff Wilson, Jonah Lomu, Andrew Mehrtens and Marshall, as they won the series 2-1.
Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
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