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The European powerhouses await but first the All Blacks begin their end-of-year tour against Japan this afternoon. We’ll have live scores from 4.00pm AEDT.
After waltzing undefeated through the Rugby Championship – and unchallenged, save for a few periods against the Springboks – the All Blacks continued on with a 41-33 win over the Wallabies in mid-October to continue a perfect 2013.
Steve Hansen has made 14 changes from the side that got over the Wallabies in Dunedin, but the side hardly looks weakened.
In comes first-five Dan Carter after a shoulder injury picked up two months ago against the Springboks, and skipper Richie McCaw is also fit enough to slot in at number eight.
With the likes of Sam Cane, Steven Luatua, Jeremy Thrush, Beauden Barrett and Ben Smith in the starting XV the All Blacks will be expected to make short work of the Brave Blossoms.
The two sides first met back in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when the Japanese were faced with a near-superhuman Jonah Lomu and were crushed 145-17.
There second meeting was at the 2011 edition and the All Blacks were similarly ruthless, winning 83-7 at Waikato.
Japan’s last Tests were back in June, where they recorded wins over the USA and Canada but were beaten relatively comfortably by Fiji and Tonga.
The Japanese starting XV features several familiar faces including Rebels forward Shota Horie, Highlanders halfback Fumiaki Tanaka and former NRL star Craig Wing, who will start at second-five.
Welcoming the All Blacks on Japanese soil for the first time ever, the Brave Blossoms should produce a spirited performance but it won’t be enough to get close to the All Blacks.
Find out how it unfolds from 4.00pm AEDT.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.