Damian McKenzie has been dropped from the starting lineup for the All Blacks’ upcoming match against the Wallabies, likely due to his performance in the previous Bledisloe I game or to give him a well-deserved rest. Coach Scott Robertson has opted for Beauden Barrett as the first five-eighth in a series of changes to the team for the match at Sky Stadium this Saturday evening.
In other backline adjustments, Anton Lienert-Brown will step in for second-five as Jordie Barrett is sidelined with a knee injury. Will Jordan retains his position at fullback after stepping in for the unwell Beauden Barrett in the last match.
TJ Perenara will return at halfback, replacing Cortez Ratima, while Sevu Reece continues on the right wing, and David Havili has made his way back into the matchday squad.
The rationale behind McKenzie being benched is expected to be clarified by Robertson later today. Notably, McKenzie is one of only two players who have started in every test this year and has only been substituted once. With the Bledisloe Cup already secured for the year, it was anticipated that he could be rested for this match. Harry Plummer will also miss out after a brief appearance in the last game.
Despite the potential justification for the change, McKenzie’s performance during the narrow 31-28 victory in Sydney faced significant criticism, making his exclusion the following week a likely consequence of that scrutiny.
Lienert-Brown’s selection is a logical choice given his strong performances, but the spotlight will be on Barrett, who last started in this position two years ago against Scotland, having only made five starts in the position, three of which resulted in losses.
Meanwhile, Sam Cane will start in what marks his 100th test match, as the forward pack remains unchanged from the previous week.
The All Blacks are eager to break an unfavorable record at Sky Stadium, where they have not secured a test match victory since 2018.
All Blacks Starting XV: 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 6 Wallace Sititi, 7 Sam Cane, 8 Ardie Savea, 9 TJ Perenara, 10 Beauden Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 13 Rieko Ioane, 14 Sevu Reece, 15 Will Jordan.
Bench: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 David Havili, 23 David Havili.