Maestro McKenzie to start against Wallabies
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Sonny Bill Williams is lined up to play his 50th Test on Saturday as the All Blacks named a strong team for the third Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia in Japan.
The code-hopping double World Cup-winner was named in the centres alongside Ryan Crotty, who returns to the side after Jack Goodhue was ruled out through illness.
TJ Perenara will start at scrumhalf with Aaron Smith providing impact from the bench
Damian McKenzie returns as fullback with Ben Smith switching to the right wing, while Ardie Savea and Liam Squire make up the second row after Sam Cane broke a vertebra in his neck in this month’s 32-30 win over South Africa.
What to do in 🇯🇵 when you want a ☕️! pic.twitter.com/X9ttYMujOh
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 25, 2018
Joe Moody returns from his thumb injury and back into the number one jersey, while fellow prop Nepo Laulala is also back.
Brodie Retallick will make his return via the bench.
Saturday’s game in Yokohama, a year ahead of the Rugby World Cup in Japan, kicks off an All Blacks tour which also features games against England, Ireland and Italy.
All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen said this weekend’s Test in front of a passionate rugby crowd in Yokohama was the perfect way for the All Blacks to kick off their Northern Tour.
“We’ll be up against a good Australian team and they’ll be desperate to win, but so are we. We know that they’ll come with a lot of passion and physicality, but our focus this week has been about us and what we want to bring – intensity, skill and a triple threat game.
“Being well prepared, clear in our roles and excited about the opportunity in playing this one-off Test against Australia in Japan, will be a good start in achieving a quality performance.”
🔦 SPOTLIGHT | Joe Moody is back! Catch up with the #AllBlacks prop as he chats about his selection in the starting XV for this weekend’s test against Australia. KICK OFF ➡️ Saturday, 7:00pm NZT
FULL TEAM ➡️ https://t.co/2kPgm55xgA#NZLvAUS pic.twitter.com/lpowp5pPYl
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 25, 2018
Hansen added: “It’s great to have Joe, Nepo, Liam and Brodie, as well as Matt Todd, back. As well as being world-class rugby players, they also add a lot of experience to the team, both on and off the track. We look forward to seeing them play again.
“The Test match will provide us with another great opportunity to put into practise what we have learnt throughout our recent Tests in the Rugby Championship and grow our game in the first Test of what will be an exciting Northern Tour.
“We’re also excited to be playing the first of our two Tests here in Japan. The Japanese people have been fantastic hosts and the team has enjoyed the cultural aspects of our time here. We look forward to seeing them on Saturday and hopefully having their support.”
All Blacks: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Perenara, 8 Kieran Read (captain), 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody.
Replacements: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Brodie Retallick, 20 Matt Todd, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 Richie Mo’unga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown.
Date: Saturday, October 27
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
Kick-off: 15.00 (17.00 AEDT; 19.00 NZ time; 06.00 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
