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All Blacks coach Ian Foster has recalled Damian McKenzie for his first Test since 2021 as part of a rejigged XV ahead of Sunday morning’s (AEST) clash with Argentina to kick off their Rugby Championship campaign.
After returning from a stint in Japan to help steer the Chiefs to the Super Rugby Pacific grand final, the 28-year old fly-half will add to his 40 All Blacks caps, having been named at 10 in the line-up to face Michael Cheika’s Pumas.
Fellow Chief Emoni Narawa has been rewarded for a breakout season by being named on the wing for his international debut, while lock Josh Lord has been paired with veteran Scott Barrett in the second-row for his third Test and first since 2021.
Beauden Barrett will also line up at fullback for his 113th Test, moving him past Dan Carter into outright second for most All Blacks caps, behind only Aaron Smith, who has been named at 9.
By naming Barrett, Foster has overlooked in-form Shaun Stevenson, who has been added to the squad as injury cover for Mark Telea.
Crusaders title winners Will Jordan and Leicester Fainga’anuku were unavailable for selection, the former with ongoing headaches and the latter with a calf injury.
“We have taken the need to build combinations in a vital year and balanced it with the need to manage the squad after Super Rugby,” Foster said in a statement.
“This is obviously a massive year and we are really confident in the way that we’ve been building. We have had a short build-up but an effective one.”
Damian McKenzie. (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
The All Blacks have never been beaten by the Pumas in Argentina, with a capacity crowd of 42,500 set to attend their first ever match in Mendoza, with tickets reportedly sold out two months in advance.
It’s the first time the team have travelled to Argentina since 2019, when they beat the Pumas 20-16 in Buenos Aires.
Prop Lucio Sordoni will make his first appearance for Argentina in almost three years in an otherwise settled team named by Cheika.
Sordoni, 24, has three caps and last played a Test against New Zealand in 2020. He spent 14 months out of the game through injury, but gets a chance to stake a claim for a place in Cheika’s Rugby World Cup squad.
Otherwise, the team has a familiar look to it. Fullback Emiliano Boffelli continues his run of playing every Test since Australian Cheika took over and will be key with the boot.
Santiago Carreras has been preferred to Nicolas Sanchez at five-eighth and the team will be captained by hooker Julian Montoya.
Cheika is missing suspended Marcos Kremer who will sit out the entire Rugby Championship.
Argentina have beaten the All Blacks twice in the last three years, though both those matches were away in neutral Australia and last season in New Zealand. They have yet to record a win over them on home soil.
All Blacks 23-man squad to play Argentina
1-15: 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Dane Coles, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Josh Lord, 6. Shannon Frizell, 7. Sam Cane (c), 8. Ardie Savea, 9. Aaron Smith, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Emoni Narawa, 15. Beauden Barrett.
Reserves: 16. Codie Taylor, 17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18. Nepo Laulala, 19. Tupou Vaa’i, 20. Dalton Papali’i, 21. Finlay Christie, 22. Richie Mo’unga, 23. Braydon Ennor.
Argentina 15-1: Emiliano Boffelli, Bautista Delguy, Matias Moroni, Lucio Cinti, Mateo Carreras, Santiago Carreras, Gonzalo Bertranou, Rodrigo Bruni, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Pablo Matera, Tomas Lavanini, Matias Alemanno, Lucio Sordoni, Julian Montoya (capt), Thomas Gallo
Replacements: Augustin Creevy, Mayco Vivas, Eduardo Bello, Pedro Rubiolo, Sanriago Grondona, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Nicolas Sanchez, Matias Orlando.
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