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Beauden Barrett will captain New Zealand for the first time when he leads out the All Blacks for the Nations Championship game against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
Team Changes and Line-up
All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has made eight starting changes from the side that defeated Scotland 43-21 at Murrayfield, alongside 10 alterations in the match-day 23.
It will be 35-year-old Barrett’s first time as starting skipper in his 149th international, with his brother Scott also named at lock and Richie Mo’unga at fly-half.
Commenting on the selection, Dave Rennie stated, “Beauden brings such valuable experience and is massively respected by us all.” Rennie added, “Captaining the All Blacks in a Test is an honour I know he doesn’t take lightly, so it’ll be a proud day for him and his whanau [family].”
Injuries and Squad Depth
The All Blacks defeated Scotland last Saturday, but record try-scoring wing Will Jordan suffered a hamstring injury and centre Jordie Barratt picked up a facial injury, leaving both absent against Wales.
Flanker Anton Segner and wing Fehi Fineanganofo, whose move to Newcastle Red Bulls in the summer was delayed by a year, are set to make their first Test starts. Segner, prop George Bower, hooker Asafo Aumua, and scrum-half Cortez Ratima all move from the replacements into the starting side, while Mo’unga, Fineanganofo, lock Josh Lord, and centre Anton Lienert-Brown also come into the line-up.
“We have created good depth in this group and there is a lot of competition for places,” Dave Rennie explained. “We have selected a strong squad with 783 caps.”
Match Context
New Zealand has won the past 34 Tests against Wales in a winning sequence that stretches back to 1953.
“Wales are a proud rugby nation and building nicely under Steve Tandy,” Dave Rennie noted. “We are well aware of the threat they pose and the challenge of playing in front of a passionate crowd at Principality Stadium.”
New Zealand and South Africa are currently unbeaten in the southern hemisphere table, with the rivals battling for top spot before the play-off weekend at the end of the month.
The match takes place on Saturday, 14 November at 14:10 GMT at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with live coverage available on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, and BBC Radio 5Live.
