All Blacks look to fix weaknesses against Sharks as South Africa tour intensifies

The All Blacks will look to correct the weaknesses exposed in their opening South Africa rugby tour match when they face the Sharks in Durban on Tuesday, with the scrum, discipline and ability to handle South Africa's aerial game all under the spotlight.

New Zealand began the tour with an entertaining 38-21 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town, but the scoreline did not hide the problems experienced by the forwards. All Blacks captain Luke Jacobson says the second match against the Sharks provides an immediate opportunity to make those corrections.

For New Zealand, this is about more than another tour victory. The six-week campaign is designed to prepare the All Blacks for four Tests against the Springboks, making every match against South African opposition an important part of the build-up.

All Blacks face Sharks after Stormers exposed weaknesses

The All Blacks vs Sharks clash comes just days after New Zealand's opening match revealed areas that need attention.

New Zealand's attacking game was one of the strongest aspects of the victory over the Stormers. Their speed created opportunities and helped them pull away during the final stages.

The forward battle was a different story.

The Stormers put pressure on the New Zealand scrum, while the All Blacks conceded several penalties and received three yellow cards. Their opponents also used high kicks effectively, creating another area that New Zealand must prepare for in Durban.

That combination gives the Sharks rugby side an obvious blueprint.

New Zealand know what is coming. The challenge is executing the response.

Luke Jacobson takes charge

The All Blacks team selected for the Sharks match contains a stronger collection of players who could feature in the Test side against South Africa later in the tour.

Jacobson will captain New Zealand for the first time, taking responsibility for a side that includes established internationals such as Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke and Ardie Savea's fellow loose-forward contenders.

For Jacobson, the captaincy arrives at an important point in the New Zealand rugby campaign.

He has already identified the physical battle as one of the central challenges. South African teams are renowned for their scrum, maul and kicking game, and the Sharks are expected to test New Zealand in each area.

The All Blacks therefore need to be more technically precise than they were in Cape Town.

Scrum problems are the biggest warning sign

The biggest tactical concern from the Stormers match was the scrum.

The All Blacks forwards struggled for control at times, allowing the Stormers to remain competitive deep into the match.

That cannot become a recurring problem.

South African rugby places enormous importance on winning the physical contest, particularly at set piece. If New Zealand cannot establish stability at scrum time, the pressure can quickly extend into penalties, field position and possession.

The Sharks will be watching closely.

A stronger scrum performance would immediately give the All Blacks a more reliable platform for their attacking game.

The aerial battle could decide the match

The second major issue is the South African kicking game.

Jacobson expects the Sharks to test New Zealand with high kicks and aggressive chasing, something the All Blacks experienced against the Stormers.

That makes the contest in the air particularly important.

New Zealand's desire to play quickly can become less effective if they repeatedly lose territory through poor exits or inaccurate handling under pressure.

The Sharks can therefore attempt to slow the All Blacks down by forcing them into uncomfortable positions.

How New Zealand respond could determine whether they are able to reproduce the attacking rhythm that helped them defeat the Stormers.

Rain could change the All Blacks' approach

Weather could add another complication.

Rain is expected for the Sharks vs All Blacks match, potentially making handling more difficult and reducing the effectiveness of New Zealand's preferred high-speed approach.

That creates a test of adaptability.

The All Blacks cannot assume that every match will allow them to play at maximum tempo. Wet conditions can place greater emphasis on territory, kicking accuracy, ball security and patience.

If the rain arrives, the team that makes fewer mistakes could gain a significant advantage.

A changing All Blacks lineup

New Zealand have made several changes from the team that defeated the Stormers.

The official All Blacks team news confirms that seven players from the 38-21 victory remain in the match-day 23, although several who came off the bench in Cape Town will now start against the Sharks.

Asafo Aumua, Sam Darry, Kyle Preston and Caleb Clarke move into the starting lineup, while Pasilio Tosi, Ollie Norris and Ethan Blackadder are among the replacements.

There will also be two All Blacks debuts, with Bradley Slater and Semisi Ta'eiloa named among the replacements.

That gives the match an additional storyline beyond the tactical battle.

For the newcomers, it is an opportunity to make an impression during one of the most demanding tours in world rugby.

The bigger target is the Springboks

The South Africa tour 2026 is ultimately building towards a much bigger challenge.

After the Sharks, New Zealand travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls before continuing towards the Test series against the Springboks.

Reuters describes the campaign as New Zealand's first full tour of South Africa in 30 years.

That historical context makes the current franchise matches even more valuable.

The All Blacks are effectively learning South African rugby in real time.

The Stormers showed them what they need to improve.

The Sharks provide the next examination.

And the lessons from both matches will feed into the preparations for the Springboks.

Sevens Sports Arena analysis

The most important thing for the All Blacks on Tuesday may not be the final score.

New Zealand need to show that they can identify a weakness, correct it quickly and then perform under different conditions.

The Stormers exposed problems at scrum time and created pressure through their kicking game. The Sharks now have an opportunity to target exactly those areas.

That makes this a potentially revealing test of New Zealand's adaptability.

The attacking quality is already there. The 38-21 victory demonstrated that.

The question is whether the All Blacks can combine that attacking threat with the physical control required to succeed consistently against South African rugby teams.

If they can improve the scrum, reduce unnecessary penalties and handle the aerial battle more effectively, the Sharks match could provide a significant step forward.

If those problems return, the pressure will increase before New Zealand even reaches the Springboks series.

What happens next for New Zealand?

After the All Blacks vs Sharks match, New Zealand will face the Bulls in Pretoria.

That fixture introduces another challenge because of the Highveld altitude, giving the touring squad yet another environment in which to adapt.

The sequence is demanding by design.

There is little time to dwell on mistakes.

The All Blacks have to learn, adjust and move on to the next challenge.

For Jacobson and his teammates, the message is therefore simple.

The Stormers victory provided the result.

The Sharks match needs to provide the improvement.

And with the Springboks waiting later in the 2026 South Africa rugby tour, the margin for unresolved weaknesses is becoming smaller with every game.