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The All Blacks have named a powerful squad to take on the Wallabies at the MCG on Saturday night.
Ardie Savea will lead the side for the fifth time in his career, featuring in a loose forward trio which has undergone one change. Regular skipper Sam Cane has been withdrawn due to a neck strain sustained in the win over South Africa in Auckland.
His absence means Dalton Papali’i will wear the No.7 jersey for the 14th time in his Test career, with Luke Jacobson coming into the match-day 23 as loose forward cover. Ian Foster said Cane’s injury was not serious and he would be expected to play in Bledisloe II.
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
While the rest of the run-on side remains unchanged, further additions have been made to the reserves.
Experienced campaigners Anton Lienert-Brown and Samuel Whitelock are set to make their first appearances of the season. Ofa Tu’ungafasi returns after playing the opening Test against Argentina and Cam Roigard is in line to make his Test debut as halfback cover.
“This is a special Rugby Championship Test, which doubles as the opening Bledisloe Cup clash of the year,” said Foster. “This trophy means so much to both countries and we expect a massive challenge on Saturday.”
The Wallabies made seven changes in their team for the game.
This weekend will mark the first All Blacks Test at the MCG since 2007. With over 80,000 fans expected, it is tipped to be the biggest Bledisloe Cup crowd since 2009 when 80,228 turned out to watch at Homebush.
“As the final Rugby Championship Test, there is much at stake in this game,” added Foster. “We have learned a lot from two stern Tests so far this year and there is huge excitement about playing Australia at this iconic ground.”
Much of the attention in New Zealand focussed on the locks combination of Brodie Retallick and Scott Barrett with Sam Whitelock bench bound.
”He’s been out a while, and it’s a chance for him to come back via the bench,” said Foster of Whitelock’s role. “We felt we got some nice combinations going in the last test (the 35-20 victory over the Boks), and it’s a chance to keep growing that. Sam’s introduction via the bench is a different role for him, but it’s great to have his experience to inject at some point.”
He said Retallick are Barrett “are two quality locks”. “They do their core roles well. If you look back to their last Test, they dealt with a big, physical South African pack around the park, with their carry/clean a pretty high standard. Their challenge is to keep doing that,” he said.
Foster was asked if the impact role was part of Whitelock’s repertoire. He replied: “It’s his repertoire for this week. That’s as far as we’re looking. I know everyone is intrigued with the locks, and it’s a great situation to be in. We’ve had Josh Lord play really well against Argentina, Tupou [Vaa’i] came off the bench effectively twice and now we’ve got Sam coming back.
“There’s no doubt about his class and experience. He’s been used to starting, so this is a different challenge. We’ll assess that and see how we go, but there’s plenty of rugby ahead.”
All Blacks team
1. Ethan de Groot (15)
2. Codie Taylor (78)
3. Tyrel Lomax (25)
4. Brodie Retallick (101)
5. Scott Barrett (60)
6. Shannon Frizell (27)
7. Dalton Papali’i (24)
8. Ardie Savea (72 – captain)
9. Aaron Smith (116)
10. Richie Mo’unga (46)
11. Mark Telea (3)
12. Jordie Barrett (50)
13. Rieko Ioane (61)
14. Will Jordan (22)
15. Beauden Barrett (114)
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (22)
17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi (51)
18. Nepo Laulala (47)
19. Samuel Whitelock (143)
20. Luke Jacobson (12)
21. Cam Roigard *
22. Anton Lienert-Brown (60)
23. Caleb Clarke (17)
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.