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Barrett brothers start as All Blacks name team for Wallabies clash
Beauden Barrett has been handed the All Blacks No 10 jersey for just the second time this year for the side’s final Bledisloe Cup clash against the Wallabies at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
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Barrett will start at first-five in the absence of incumbent playmaker Richie Mo’unga, who has remained in New Zealand to attend the birth of his second child.
Mo’unga is one of three key players to have not travelled to Australia due family duties, with interim captain Sam Whitelock and veteran halfback Aaron Smith also missing out on the trip across the Tasman Sea.
As a result, the promotion of Barrett off the bench and into the starting lineup isn’t the only alteration All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has had to make to his starting team.
All up, three of the six change Foster has made to his starting team have involved the three Barrett brothers, all of whom will start in their respective positions this weekend.
At lock, Scott Barrett partners with Brodie Retallick in the second row in Whitelock’s absence, which opens a space on the bench that has been filled by youngster Tupou Vaa’i, who will get his first taste of test rugby this year.
Arguably the biggest surprise, though, comes at fullback, where Jordie Barrett has been selected ahead of incumbent No 15 Damian McKenzie.
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Acting as the squad’s back-up first-five option without the presence of Mo’unga, McKenzie has been demoted to the bench, where he and Vaa’i are two of five new faces, including loose forward Ethan Blackadder and injury returnee George Bridge.
Meanwhile, at halfback, Brad Weber has trumped TJ Perenara for starting honours while Smith is unavailable in what will be just the 30-year-old’s second-ever start at test level.
Plenty of interest had surrounded who would start between Perenara, the more experienced yet combative No 9 who is still easing his way back into action after his Japanese sabbatical, and Weber, a like-for-like replacement for Smith.
However, it is Weber who has come out on top, while Perenara will ride the pine before likely being called on later in the match.
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Elsewhere, Rieko Ioane has shifted to left wing and taken the No 11 jersey off of Sevu Reece to accomodate for the return of Anton Lienert-Brown, who sat out when the All Blacks last played the Wallabies at Eden Park last month.
Perth was not a happy hunting ground the last time the All Blacks travelled there ? #AllBlacks #Wallabies #AUSvNZLhttps://t.co/4tLgDlpRSv
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The match will also act as Ardie Savea’s first test as All Blacks captain after he was appointed the role last week while Whitelock, Smith and injured incumbent skipper Sam Cane remain inactive.
“In the forwards, we have picked a group that is most recently battle-hardened. A lot of them played in the first two Bledisloe Cup tests, so it’s right to go with them in this Rugby Championship test,” Foster said of his team selection in a statement.
He added that Weber warranted selection at halfback due to his presence in the All Blacks squad throughout the year, unlike Perenara, whose return to action was delayed upon his arrival back in New Zealand from Japan.
“Brad has been with us through the Steinlager Series and coming into the Rugby Championship, we really wanted to build the nine combination, especially with Aaron not here and to complement TJ’s leadership and experience, so this is a great opportunity to put our faith in Brad to start the test.”
All Blacks team to play the Wallabies
1. George Bower
2. Codie Taylor
3. Nepo Laulala
4. Brodie Retallick
5. Scott Barrett
6. Akira Ioane
7. Dalton Papalii
8. Ardie Savea (c)
9. Brad Weber
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Rieko Ioane
12. David Havili
13. Anton Lienert-Brown
14. Will Jordan
15. Jordie Barrett
Reserves:
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho
17. Karl Tu’inukuafe
18. Angus Ta’avao
19. Tupou Vaa’i
20. Ethan Blackadder
21. TJ Perenara
22. Damian McKenzie
23. George Bridge
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments