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All Black coach Steve Hansen has announced a 34-man squad to contest this year’s Rugby Championship. There are no new caps in the squad, and Damian McKenzie has tentatively been bracketed to take Ben Smith’s place when the Highlanders captain takes a break after the first two Bledisloe Cup tests.
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Hurricanes winger Julian Savea is a notable omission, he finds himself stranded four short of the All Blacks‘ try scoring record with 46.
The All Blacks kick off their campaign against the Wallabies on August 19th in Sydney.
#AllBlacks squad includes 4 Blues, 6 Chiefs, 8 Hurricanes, 10 Crusaders & 5 Highlanders, with 11 of NZ’s Mitre 10 Cup provinces represented
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 7, 2017
FORWARDS
Hookers
Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes, 49 tests)
Nathan Harris (Bay of Plenty/Chiefs 8)
Codie Taylor (Canterbury/Crusaders, 19)
Props
Wyatt Crockett (Canterbury/Crusaders, 62)
Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders, 94)
Nepo Laulala (Counties Manukau/Chiefs, 4)
Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders, 28)
Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Auckland/Blues, 4)
Locks
Scott Barrett (Taranaki/Crusaders)
Brodie Retallick (Hawke’s Bay/Chiefs, 64)
Luke Romano (Canterbury/Crusaders, 26)
Samuel Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders, 88)
Loose forwards
Sam Cane (Bay of Plenty/Chiefs, 44)
Vaea Fifita (Wellington/Hurricanes, 1)
Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues, 74)
Kieran Read, captain (Counties Manukau/ Crusaders, 100)
Ardie Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes, 16)
Liam Squire (Tasman/Highlanders 8)
BACKS
Halfbacks
Tawera Kerr-Barlow (Waikato/Chiefs, 25)
TJ Perenara (Wellington/Hurricanes, 33)
Aaron Smith (Manawatu/Highlanders, 62)
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First five-eighths
Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes, 53)
Lima Sopoaga (Southland/Highlanders, 7)
Midfielders
Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders, 27)
Ngani Laumape (Manawatu/Hurricanes, 2)
Anton Lienert-Brown (Waikato/Chiefs, 13)
Sonny Bill Williams (Counties Manukau/Blues, 36)
Outside backs
Jordie Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes, 2)
Israel Dagg (Hawke’s Bay/Crusaders, 65)
Rieko Ioane (Auckland/Blues, 4)
Nehe Milner-Skudder (Manawatu/Hurricanes 8)
Waisake Naholo (Taranaki/Highlanders, 13)
Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders, 62)
Utility back / Replacement
Damian McKenzie (Waikato/Chiefs, 2)
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