Nehe Milner-Skudder
Hurricanes flyer Nehe Milner-Skudder will make his Test debut for the All Blacks in The Rugby Championship decider against the Wallabies.
The All Blacks and Wallabies go head-to-head in Sydney on Saturday, dead-locked at the Top of the table on 9 points each.
The 24-year-old Milner-Skudder will feature on the right wing in 1 of several changes to the All Blacks side which beat the Springboks in Johannesburg in Round 2.
Julian Savea is back on the left wing and will play his 1st Test of 2015, with Ben Smith moving back to fullback.
Sonny Bill Williams is at No 12, while Dan Carter is back at flyhalf for his 105th Test match.
In the run-on forward pack, Jerome Kaino comes in at blindside flank, while Luke Romano comes in at lock.
There are just 2 changes to the bench, with Nepo Laulala providing tighthead prop cover and Sam Cane coming in to cover the loose forwards.
With 3 All Blacks centurions amongst them, the All Blacks starting 15 boasts 868 Test caps experience with a further 183 on the bench, with a team average age of 27.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said the team had prepared well this week for a match that doubles as the opening Round of the Bledisloe Cup series.
“The Bledisloe Cup is an important trophy for New Zealand and for this team, while Australia is 1 of our oldest opponents,” Hansen said.
“We are well aware that they have made improvements and that their coach Cheika wants them to be more physical and more consistent.
“Having said that, we are always looking to improve our game and understand that we will have to take a step up from our Ellis Park (Emirates Airline Park) performance.
“This means we will need to bring physicality, intensity and accuracy to the occasion.
“I am picking this to be a brutal contest, and 1 we are looking forward to.
“It will be about us implementing our gameplan and skillsets for 80-plus minutes.”
All Blacks: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (Captain), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Luke Romano, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Tony Woodcock
Replacements: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Sam Whitelock, 20 Sam Cane, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Malakai Fekitoa.
Date: Saturday 8 August
Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Kick-Off: 12:05 SA Time (20:05 AEST, 22:05 NZ Time, 10:05 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)