Wales v New Zealand - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has explained why he gave the captaincy to Beauden Barrett over his brother Scott for Saturday’s Nations Championship showdown against Wales in Cardiff.

The playmaker will lead New Zealand in his 149th Test after being retained at fullback in a much-changed side.

“Yeah, look, I’ve spoken a lot about Beauden, just a really impressive character. It was hard for him early on; he was struggling to get an opportunity, and just the quality of the man, very much team–first, went out of his way to help others who he competes with,” Rennie said in Cardiff.

“Obviously, his experience and time in a jersey just made him a really, I guess, strong contributor to the legacy and building on that. So, he’s obviously got his opportunity, played really well, and now gets an opportunity to lead this country.

“It’s a great story, but so deserving. He’s been awesome.”

Barrett’s brother, Scott, was the captain under former coach Scott Robertson.

“I just don’t think he [Scott] needs the extra responsibility. He’s performed exceptionally well, as you guys would know, and so we talked a lot about him leading from outside the leadership group,” Rennie added.

“We’ve got a number of our leadership group not playing this week, so we’ve brought him into that group to make sure we’re aligned, but he has a big say in our line-out, attack and defence.

“He’s going to be closer to the action, and so we want him communicating with a referee where possible. But we just don’t feel that he needs to have the C next to his name and all the responsibility that goes with that.

“Beauden is a long way out the back. Not always ideal from a 15–point of view, but yeah, we’re confident he’s the right man for the job.”

The story continues below…

The 62-year-old All Blacks head coach explained that the lock will continue to lead with his actions despite not having the captain’s armband, at least for the time being.

“Well, I mean, at this stage anyway [not considered for captaincy]. I think my thinking always also when he comes back in is just let him settle in and focus on himself.

“He’s going to naturally lead because it’s a strength of his. But he’s been very much a follow–me. He’s been demanding and challenging at training, which has been great, and just his work ethic and his brutality have been fantastic for us.

“We’re just trying not to burden him with any more responsibilities, because he’s playing well. So, we’ll try and continue with that.”

The All Blacks are level on points (20) with the Springboks at the top of the Southern Hemisphere standings. However, they trail the world champions by points difference.

Wales are second-last in the Northern Hemisphere standings with two wins from their four games.

Players to watch

For Wales: Gabriel Hamer-Webb will win his second cap on Saturday, and what a match it will be. His marking in the wide channels will need to be top-notch, and he will need to grab his opportunity with both hands if he finds some space. The pack is where it will all start if Wales are to get opportunities out wide. Archie Griffin and Nicky Smith will have to be solid in the scrums, while Taine Basham, Jac Morgan and James Botham are a dynamic loose trio and they will provide physicality and mobility.

For New Zealand: Richie Mo’unga gets the flyhalf duties in Cardiff as Dave Rennie continues to test his depth ahead of next year’s World Cup. Mo’unga is a player who has the experience to unlock the Welsh defence and also dictate play when he gets enough ball. Fehi Fineanganofo gets a shot on the wing, and he has power and pace to test Gabriel Hamer-Webb on the outside. In the pack, Anton Segner will look to impose himself in the breakdowns and give Wales a few headaches as well.

Prediction

Rugby365: New Zealand by 22 points.

Teams:

Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Eddie James, 12 Max Llewellyn, 11 Gabriel Hamer-Webb, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taine Basham, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 James Botham, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Dafydd Jenkins, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Nicky Smith.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Ben Carter, 20 Taine Plumtree, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Dan Edwards, 23 Louie Hennessey.

New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett (captain), 14 Fehi Fineanganofo, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Peter Lakai, 6 Anton Segner, 5 Josh Lord, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 George Bower.
Replacements: 16 George Bell, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Jamie Hannah, 20 Ethan Blackadder, 21 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 22 Kyle Preston, 23 Rieko Ioane.

Date: Saturday, November 14
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 14:10 UK & IRE (14:10 GMT, 03:10 NZDT Sunday, November 15)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Luc Ramos (France)
TMO: Tual Trainini (France)

Additional report: @RugbyPass