Ardie Savea boarded a flight to Johannesburg on Tuesday having missed the first two matches of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour, and with a clear message for those who thought the All Blacks captain should have travelled with everyone else.
"Everyone's entitled to their opinion and they just care - they care for the jersey," Savea told 1News at Auckland International Airport. "I understand from a leadership point of view... but... before I'm the leader of the All Blacks, I'm the leader of my family. I've been given this time by the management and the team. For the critics - I understand it and know that they care. For me, that motivates me... I'll prove them wrong with my actions."
Dave Rennie named Savea in his 44-man touring squad last month with an asterisk: the skipper would arrive in South Africa roughly 10 days out from the first Test, missing the tour opener against the Stormers and the Sharks fixture in Durban. The reasoning was workload. Savea has played and trained close to continuously since the start of 2025, taking in Moana Pasifika, All Blacks duty and a title-winning stint with the Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan Rugby League One under Rennie himself.
Two weeks at home in Wellington, Savea said, did what it needed to.
"It's been very important," he said of the break. "You've heard that I've been going for 19 or 20 months of non-stop footy. Being at home, physically, is important. You've still got to do the mahi. But more so the mental refresh - being away from the game, being really present at home."
"Just being a dad, being a husband. Doing things around the house has been really refreshing. I got itchy feet watching the boys in the last game. I'm excited about getting stuck into it."
He was not idle. Savea fitted training around school drop-offs and pick-ups, starting at 5.30am, with former All Blacks loose forward Victor Vito among his training partners.
Sir John Kirwan, who described himself as a traditionalist on the Rivals podcast, backed the call while admitting his instincts pulled the other way.
"He has had back-to-back seasons. He's been on a financial sabbatical for two seasons in a row," Kirwan said. "I also think psychologically last year was really hard on him. I think he got blamed for some stuff that was really unfair around what happened with Razor, and if he's psychologically and physically tired, then it makes sense."
Kirwan's reservation was less about Savea than about splitting a touring party - he pointed to Sir Clive Woodward's decision to run the 2005 British and Irish Lions as separate Test and midweek squads, which was widely criticised afterwards.
"But if Ardie needs a rest, then an extra week at home is going to get the best out of him for the Test match. He's got enough respect within the team that they won't mind," Kirwan said.
What awaits is the part Savea is not underestimating. Murray Mexted, the former New Zealand No 8 who played two seasons in South Africa for Natal - now the Sharks - and toured with the rebel Cavaliers in 1986, told Radio New Zealand that the players on their first tour there are in for an education.
"They are fanatical, quite different from New Zealand," Mexted said. "We're probably the only ones they do respect. They have disregard for everyone else."
Mexted, 72, added: "Sometimes I wonder if we can live up to the reputation we have in South Africa. We are revered in that country as rugby players. They like us as well, believe it or not." He rated the whole assignment as brutal: "It is the most competitive environment you can go to as a rugby player. There isn't any rugby team in the world that could go on this tour and win every game. This is the hardest place to go and tour." A 2-2 series finish, he said, would satisfy him.
Savea, 32 and 111 Tests into a career that began in 2016, made the same point in plainer terms.
"The body is good," he said. "It's a different beast going to Africa. You can do all the training you want, and the running, but nothing prepares you for the rugby, especially at Ellis Park. It's different to Super Rugby. They love their maul, they love their set piece. They love to run direct. There's nothing fancy about them. It's a physical battle."
He has 10 days with the squad before the first Test in Johannesburg. The fourth and final meeting with the world champions is in Baltimore on 12 September.
