Stephen Donald's All Black team for Saturday's Bledisloe Cup Test

The time has come for another Test match at Eden Park in this year’s Rugby Championship competition, this time Joe Schmidt and the Wallabies will take on the All Blacks on Saturday afternoon.

Schmidt’s side are coming off a disappointing defeat last time out against Argentina, but still sit top of the Rugby Championship on 11 points from four games.

All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson will be working hard to ensure his team come out with a response to what happened two weeks ago against the Springboks, after recording their biggest Test defeat ever.

Former All Black Stephen Donald has picked his team for what he would do for the first Bledisloe Cup Test this weekend, making a number of key changes to the side that ran out two weeks ago against the Springboks.

Some of his personal changes include Damian McKenzie at No.10, Du’Plessis Kirifi to seven, Rieko Ioane to the right wing, and Anton Lienert-Brown into the starting No.13 jersey.

The former World-Cup winner explained that with an afternoon kick off time at Eden Park, he believes the All Blacks need to pick a team suitable for these particular Tests.

“Well, this team was picked on what we’ve got coming up, and I’m picking it on two teams. We’ve got a daytime test coming up Eden Park, and then we go to Perth and play on the hard, fast deck in Perth,” Donald says on The Breakdown.

“So I picked the team accordingly, I’ll pick the team that I believe how we’re going to play that game and a bit to nullify of what I expect from the Wallabies at Eden Park.”

Donald strongly believes that with the Wallabies’ prowess at the breakdown, Kirifi will be able to give the All Blacks that extra edge at Eden Park.

“He starts at seven and that is justified by the fact that they are going to play very quick game, based on their speed ball, they’ve also been outstandingly effective when it comes to playing on the ground themselves.

“I just think that extra feature, that extra man that plays on the ground in Du’Plessis Kirifi, is going to be an asset to us. So that’s why he gets in ahead of, say, a bigger body and more robust Parker for this particular Test match.

On the Lienert-Brown starting selection, Donald explains that with the Wallabies’ attacking weapons, he would want a guy with his sort of experience and defensive expertise in the starting 15.

“Rieko’s not seen as a 13 anymore. Anton Lienert-Brown is our best defensive 13 and they are going to throw plenty at us in and around there.

“They’re superstars at 13 and it’s not just him that worries me, It’s what they’ve got outside him. So I’ve gone for, as I said, I think our best defensive experienced centre.

“I’ve gone Rieko on the wing, there’s gonna be some demons that come across the tasman as well so I want as many faces who have been there, done that, to be staring at them, saying, hey, boys, we’re still here.”

Stephen Donald’s All Black team for Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park

1. Ethan de Groot
2. Codie Taylor
3. Tyrel Lomax
4. Scott Barrett
5. Tupou Vaa’i
6. Wallace Sititi
7. Du’Plessis Kirifi
8. Ardie Savea
9. Cameron Roigard
10. Damian McKenzie
11. Caleb Clarke
12. Jordie Barrett
13. Anton Lienert-Brown
14. Rieko Ioane
15. Will Jordan

Bench

16. Asafo Aumua
17. Tamaiti Williams
18. Fletcher Newell
19. Fabian Holland
20. Peter Lakai
21. Cortez Ratima
22. Beauden Barrett
23. Leicester Fainga’anuku