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All Blacks captain Sam Cane is one of six changes to the All Blacks 23 for the second Bledisloe Cup match against Australia at Eden Park on Saturday.
Cane came off with a self-reported head injury in the opening match, won by New Zealand in Melbourne. Although he later passed a HIA, he has been sidelined from training since the game.
Scott Barrett and Shannon Frizell are out while David Havili misses out having failed a HIA in Melbourne. Quinn Tupaea is the fourth player missing after suffering a serious knee injury when taken out by Darcy Swain, an action that led to a ban for the Wallabies player on Thursday.
Coach Ian Foster said Frizell was close to being fit while Barrett had an Achilles niggle.
“We’ve been managing his Achilles for a month and he’s been doing really good, but you might have seen him getting treated in the last 15 minutes of that test and he had a little bit of a calf tightness,” said Foster.
Sam Whitelock will lead the team which has No.8 Ardie Savea returning from parental leave. He will play in a a loose forward trio featuring Dalton Papali’i at openside flanker and Akira Ioane on the blindside.
Foster said Savea would be given the chance to concentrate on his role without the added burden of captaincy.
The Wallabies caused plenty of harm through Pete Samu and Rob Valetini on Thursday and Foster wants Ioane to show his strengths.
“There’s plenty of competition in the loose forwards and that’s the way we want it,” said Foster. “We believe with the skill set that he’s got that he can really contribute with the ball and without the ball.
“He’s a different type of defender and a different type of carrier to the likes of Scott Barrett and Shannon so it’s important that he finds his way into the game and is able to utilise his strengths. It’s a big challenge because the Wallabies played a very physical, combative game last week, and that’s what we’re expecting again.”
With Havili and Tupaea out of the midfield selection frame, the All Blacks have retained the combination that finished the Test in Melbourne. Jordie Barrett will play at No.12 with Beauden Barrett at fullback.
Codie Taylor replaces Samisoni Taukei’aho at hooker in the starting side, alongside props Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Nepo Laulala.
Lock Tupou Vaa’i, midfielder Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and outside back Sevu Reece are added to the bench.
“This year’s Rugby Championship is so tightly contested and our group is continuing to make shifts to improve,” said All Blacks head coach Ian Foster in a statement.
“We are determined to finish the tournament strongly and we know that Australia will throw everything at us. This is what Test match rugby is all about and we can’t wait.”
The Wallabies will name their team at 12.45pm AEST. With Swain out, Cadeyrn Neville will be picked to start in the second row.
All Blacks (Test caps in brackets):
1.Ethan de Groot (9)
2.Codie Taylor (71)
3.Tyrel Lomax (19)
4.Brodie Retallick (97)
5.Samuel Whitelock (139)
6.Akira Ioane (18)
7.Dalton Papali’i (17)
8.Ardie Savea (66)
9.Aaron Smith (110)
10.Richie Mo’unga (40)
11.Caleb Clarke (10)
12. Jordie Barrett (44)
13.Rieko Ioane (55)
14.Will Jordan (20)
15. Beauden Barrett (108)
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (16)
17.Ofa Tu’ungafasi (47)
18.Nepo Laulala (41)
19.Tupou Vaa’i (14)
20.Hoskins Sotutu (11)
21.Finlay Christie (11)
22.Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (1)
23.Sevu Reece (20)