All Blacks boost bench experience in latest team naming

All Blacks coach Ian Foster isn’t budging on his vision for the All Blacks squad, as is confirmed by this weeks team naming.

Again, the All Blacks named the same starting 15 from their previous two tests – games which despite continuity in selection, produced very different results.

The bench sees Brodie Retallick make his return from injury, after a strong recovery from a broken cheekbone suffered in the Irish series.

Also returning from injury is Beauden Barrett, who was rested last week after experiencing neck soreness. The All Black veteran comes in for his Blues team-mate Stephen Perofeta, who managed only 50 seconds of game time in his All Black debut in Christchurch.

Also on the bench, Dalton Papali’i and Dane Coles come in for Akira Ioane and Codie Taylor. Both players who struggled to deliver any positive impact off the bench last week, with Taylor having his worst performance in the black jersey, making a crucial line-out error in the games final moments and securing the win for Argentina.

The All Blacks coach last week asked New Zealand for patience, emphasising the teams “rebuilding” status. The comments amplified anticipation for the team naming this week, with pundits interpreting a rebuild as an opportunity for new players to get their shot at the black jersey.

Instead, the consistency in selection suggests that the building of combinations and cohesion within the team is the focus within the camp.

All Blacks team for Argentina:

1. Ethan De Groot
2. Samisoni Taukei’aho
3. Tyrel Lomax
4. Sam Whitelock
5. Scott Barrett
6. Shannon Frizell
7. Sam Cane
8. Ardie Savea
9. Aaron Smith
10. Richie Mo’unga
11. Caleb Clarke
12. David Havili
13. Rieko Ioane
14. Will Jordan
15. Jordie Barrett
    Reserves
16. Dane Coles
17. George Bower
18. Fletcher Newell
19. Brodie Retallick
20. Dalton Papali’i
21. Finlay Christie
22. Beauden Barrett
23. Quinn Tupaea