Sam Cane will return as All Blacks captain in their final World Cup Pool A game against Uruguay on Thursday, when a bonus-point win would guarantee New Zealand a spot in the knockout rounds.
Coach Ian Foster has made nine changes to the starting side that thrashed Italy 96-17 at the same OL Stadium last weekend, resting regular starters such as Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith and Rieko Ioane ahead of the quarter-finals.
Lock Sam Whitelock will make his 150th Test appearance in the starting second row along with Tupou Vaa’i, having surpassed Richie McCaw as the most-capped All Black as a replacement against Italy.
Whitelock will also own outright the Rugby World Cup appearance record. His 23rd match will surpass England’s Jason Leonard and McCaw.
Tyrel Lomax comes back into the front row at tighthead prop after returning off the bench against Italy having missed the opening 27-13 loss to pool leaders France and 71-3 win over Namibia with a nasty gash to his leg that required 30 stitches.
Cane also came off the bench after a back problem last week and his return to the starting side means Dalton Papali’i drops out with Ethan Blackadder, a squad injury replacement for winger Emoni Narawa, covering the loose forwards from the bench.
Blindside flanker Shannon Frizell gets another run out after a good showing against Italy on his return from a hamstring strain, while Damian McKenzie has a rare start at fullback with Beauden Barrett benched.
Jordie Barrett keeps the family name in the starting line-up, however, after being selected in the centres with Anton Leinart-Brown after making his comeback from a knee problem with a standout performance in the Italy drubbing.
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster (L) and captain Sam Cane. (Photo by Peter Meecham/Getty Images)
The All Blacks and Uruguay first met during a tour of Argentina and Uruguay in 1976, but Friday’s match will mark the first official Test between the two sides and is expected to be played in front of more than 50,000 fans.
Coach Ian Foster said his team was wary of complacency.
“You need two things. One, you can’t motivate a team falsely because it shows in performance. So, you’ve got to get real about it,” he said.
“We’ve got so much to achieve ourselves. That’s a fact. We are not in a quarter-final yet, so we’ve got to make sure we do that.
“We are playing against a team that basically had the same scoreline against France as what we did. And that’s in the last month. I am not trying to talk them up falsely but they lost to France by the same scoreline we did. That deserves a lot of respect and if you watch that game, these guys, I love their attitude. I think they’re a really passionate rugby team and if we’re not in the house, then we are going to struggle. That’s a fact we’ve got to deal with.
“For us, we are at our best when we are on edge. Sometimes our opponent puts us on edge, sometimes the situation puts you on edge but at all times your own internal standards have to be the edge that really matters the most.”
New Zealand squad
1 Ofa Tuungafasi
2 Codie Taylor
3 Tyrel Lomax
4 Samuel Whitelock
5 Tupou Vaa’i
6 Shannon Frizell
7 Sam Cane (c)
8 Luke Jacobson
9 Cam Roigard
10 Richie Mo’unga
11 Leicester Fainga’anuku
12 Jordie Barrett
13 Anton Lienert-Brown
14 Will Jordan
15 Damian McKenzie
Replacements:
16 Samisoni Taukei’aho
17 Tamaiti Williams
18 Fletcher Newell
19 Scott Barrett
20 Ethan Blackadder
21 Finlay Christie
22 Beauden Barrett
23 Caleb Clarke
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