All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has announced the team’s lineup for the upcoming match against England in Dunedin.
In a surprising move, Stephen Perofeta of the Blues has been chosen over veteran Beauden Barrett to play fullback. TJ Perenara, who returns to the test level after a two-year hiatus, will fill the halfback position, while Damian McKenzie will wear the 10 jersey.
The loose forward trio will consist of Samipeni Finau, Dalton Papali’i, and Ardie Savea. Scott Barrett, who will serve as captain for the first time, will be paired with Patrick Tuipulotu in the locks. On the wing, Mark Tele’a and Sevu Reece have been named as starters.
Ethan Blackadder has been left out of the squad, and Luke Jacobson is expected to take his place on the bench. None of the five new caps in the series squad have been named in the match-day 23.
Both Perenara and Reece have overcome injury setbacks to earn their spots in the starting lineup.
This match will mark the eleventh time the All Blacks and England have competed for the Hillary Shield and will kick off the All Blacks’ 2024 test season.
All Blacks v England
Kick-off: 7.05pm, Saturday 6 July
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Live blog coverage on RNZ Sport
All Blacks: 1, Ethan de Groot 2. Codie Taylor 3. Tyrel Lomax 4. Scott Barrett (captain) 5, Patrick Tuipulotu, 6. Samipeni Finau 7. Dalton Papali’i 8. Ardie Savea (vice captain) 9. TJ Perenara 10. Damian McKenzie 11. Mark Tele’a 12. Jordie Barrett 13. Rieko Ioane 14. Sevu Reece 15. Stephen Perofeta
Bench: 16. Asafo Aumua 17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi 18. Fletcher Newell 19. Tupou Vaa’i 20. Luke Jacobson 21. Finlay Christie 22. Anton Lienert-Brown 23. Beauden Barrett
England: 15. George Furbank, 14. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13. Henry Slade (vice-captain), 12. Ollie Lawrence, 11. Tommy Freeman, 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Alex Mitchell 8. Ben Earl (vice-captain), 7. Sam Underhill, 6. Chandler Cunningham-South, 5. George Martin, 4. Maro Itoje (vice-captain), 3. Will Stuart, 2. Jamie George (captain), 1. Joe Marler (vice-captain)
Bench: 16. Theo Dan, 17. Fin Baxter, 18. Dan Cole, 19. Alex Coles, 20. Tom Curry, 21. Ben Spencer, 22. Fin Smith, 23. Ollie Sleightholme
