Hansen warns of 'improved' All Blacks
All Black coach Steve Hansen resisted the temptation to experiment after his team thrashed Ireland in the first Test, making only one enforced change to the starting line-up for the second clash.
Injured flank Victor Vito has been replaced by Adam Thomson, while 20-year-old Sam Cane, who is as yet uncapped, has been added to the bench for Saturday's second Test in Christchurch.
Hansen had hinted he could give Ma'a Nonu a run at inside centre and rest Sonny Bill Williams, but instead he opted to give his combinations a chance to build on their 42-10 win in Auckland last week.
Despite the magnitude of that five tries-to-one victory, the new head coach was not completely satisfied and wants to wrap up the three-Test series as soon as possible.
"Once again, for us it's about our preparation, getting clarity early in the week and building in intensity so we can have a performance we can all be proud of on Saturday," Hansen said in naming the team.
"We [the coaches] are expecting further improvements in our game due to the extra training and preparation time we have had together, along with having a game under our belt.
"We are also expecting Ireland to improve, as they are a nation with a 'never-say-die' attitude so what we did last time won't be good enough."
The Test will be the All Blacks first match in Christchurch in two years after the city lost its World Cup fixtures last year due to devastating earthquake damage – and the significance has not been lost on the players.
"It's been an emotional time for Christchurch," Hansen said.
"The team, especially those of us from Christchurch, know that people have still been doing it tough so hopefully we can give them a performance on Saturday that puts a smile on their faces."
The athletic Thomson brings different credentials to the blindside flank role compared to Vito who is seen as a more physical player.
Cane, the latest face to emerge in a long quest to find a back-up to All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, contests the number seven jersey in the Waikato Chiefs with another player who has been tried in that role, Tanerau Latimer.
* Ali Williams will play his 75th Test if he comes off the bench and will be just four Test appearances behind the most capped All Black lock of all time, Ian Jones.
* Tony Woodcock will make his 76th start at prop (in his 84th Test) putting him third on the all-time world list of most Test match starts in the position, behind England's Jason Leonard (104) and Ireland's John Hayes (100).
* By winning 50 of his 56 Test matches, Conrad Smith now has the highest winning percentage of any player in the world with more than 50 Test wins (89.3 percent).
* Daniel Carter's 17 points in last weekend's Test has extended his world record haul of Test points to 1,267 points. He has now scored 2,950 first-class points.
New Zealand: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Zac Guildford, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Hikawera Elliot, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Ben Smith.
Date: Saturday, June 16
Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 19.35 (07.35 GMT)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Romain Poite (France), Pascal Gauzere (France)
TMO: Matt Goddard (Australia)
