The All Blacks have made four changes to their starting lineup and welcomed back veteran loose forward Sam Cane to the reserves for their upcoming match against Argentina at Eden Park.
In the backline, Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan will start on the wings, with Rieko Ioane reclaiming the No.13 jersey. This will mark Jordan’s first start of the season after recovering from a shoulder injury. In the forwards,
Tamaiti Williams will start at loose head prop, replacing the injured Ethan de Groot, who is sidelined with a neck injury. The squad will once again be led by Captain Ardie Savea from No.8, with Dalton Papali’i and Ethan Blackadder completing the loose forward trio.
The All Blacks are dealing with several injuries, including Ethan de Groot (neck), Scott Barrett (finger surgery), Patrick Tuipulotu (calf), Stephen Perofeta (calf), and Luke Jacobson (hamstring).
Coach Scott Robertson told the allblacks.com website the team was undergoing a focused preparation and were highly motivated to perform at Eden Park.
All Blacks squad
Test caps in brackets.
- Tamaiti Williams (8)
- Codie Taylor (88) (Vice Captain)
- Tyrel Lomax (35)
- Tupou Vaa’i (29)
- Sam Darry (2)
- Ethan Blackadder (12)
- Dalton Papali’i (35)
- Ardie Savea (85) (Captain)
- TJ Perenara (83)
- Damian McKenzie (51)
- Caleb Clarke (21)
- Jordie Barrett (61) (Vice Captain)
- Rieko Ioane (72)
- Will Jordan (32)
- Beauden Barrett (127)
- Asafo Aumua (10)
- Ofa Tu’ungafasi (60)
- Fletcher Newell (17)
- Josh Lord (5)
- Sam Cane (95)
- Cortez Ratima (3)
- Anton Lienert-Brown (74)
- Mark Tele’a (12)
Your team for the Garden 😤
Limited tickets: https://t.co/6UeuPj2Aap pic.twitter.com/28XHskLO9g
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 14, 2024
