Patrick Tuipulotu and Stephen Perofeta will not travel to South Africa with the All Blacks, and the pair of Josh Lord and Harry Plummer will remain with the squad for two tests against the Springboks.
Despite making the All Blacks after a knee injury in the latter stages of Super Rugby Pacific with the Blues, Tuipulotu has been sidelined since last month, when he did not travel to San Diego to face Fiji.
The 31-year-old suffered a calf injury in the victory over England at Eden Park and was replaced by Blues teammate Sam Darry, who has since shone alongside Tupou Vaa’i in two tests against Argentina.
As a result of Tuipulotu’s continued absence, Lord will remain with the All Blacks, after the 23-year-old came off the bench against Argentina at Eden Park.
Tuipulotu’s absence is somewhat offset by the return of captain Scott Barrett, who missed both tests against Argentina with a finger injury suffered against Fiji.
