The All Blacks have made seven personnel changes ahead of the Rugby Championship clash against the Springboks at Newlands.
As expected, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane, and Liam Squire – who didn’t feature in the recent match against Argentina – are pushed into the starting lineup. Luke Romano and Vaea Fifita have dropped out of the squad as a result, while Matt Todd is moved to the bench.
Other changes see Ryan Crotty bolstering the midfield and Nehe Milner-Skudder starting at wing ahead of Waisake Naholo. Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Lima Sopoaga are the new faces on the bench this week.
‘We’ve settled in well in Cape Town this week. However, our preparation has been different because of the need to recover well from all the travel,’ said Steve Hansen.
‘This has meant that there’s been less time on the park and an even greater emphasis than normal on the mental side of our preparation. As always, getting real clarity of our roles and how we want to play has been key.
‘We know we’ll be playing a proud Springbok side which will be determined to rectify what happened in Albany. While it’s necessary for us to try and anticipate what they’re going to bring to the match, it’s more important for us to focus on what we’re going to bring to the encounter. Our skill execution, our physicality and our ability to play our “triple threat” game will be critical.
‘The team is really looking forward to playing at Newlands after a nine-year absence,’ Hansen added. ‘We know we have a huge fanbase here and the hospitality and reception we have received from the local folks has been fantastic. We look forward to their support, as well as the support of all our New Zealand and global fans, come Saturday.’
All Blacks –15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Kane Hames.
Subs: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Matt Todd, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 David Havili.
Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung
