Dave Rennie's men were seconds away

3 min read
24 September 2022

Former NRL star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will make his Bledisloe Cup debut for the All Blacks against the Wallabies at Eden Park on Saturday.

The centre made his Test debut against Ireland in July but has not been sighted since throughout the Rugby Championship.

All Blacks vs Wallabies Live Rugby

NZ All Blacks vs Wallabies Live game

Watch New Zealand All Blacks vs Australia Wallabies Live

New Zealand vs Australia : All Blacks vs Wallabies rugby

Injuries to David Havili (head) and Quinn Tupaea (knee) have opened the door for the 29-year-old, who has been playing for Auckland in New Zealand's domestic competition.

Tuivasa-Sheck has been named on the bench with Jordie Barrett switching from fullback to inside centre and brother Beauden Barrett starting at No.15.

The All Blacks will also be without captain Sam Cane (head) and blindside flanker Scott Barrett (Achilles) for the final game of the championship.

Lock Sam Whitelock will lead the team with support from Ardie Savea, who returns from parental leave to displace Hoskins Sotutu at No.8 from the side that secured the Bledisloe with a highly controversial win in Melbourne.

Dalton Papali'i and Akira Ioane complete an entirely new loose forward trio in place of Cane and Barrett respectively.

Codie Taylor will surprisingly start at hooker ahead of Samisoni Taukei'aho, one of the finds of a disappointing All Blacks season.

Lock Tupou Vaa'i and winger Sevu Reece join Tuivasa-Sheck as new faces among the reserves.

New Zealand hasn't lost a Test at Eden Park in 28 years and hasn't lost to Australia at the venue since 1986.

"This year's Rugby Championship is so tightly contested and our group is continuing to make shifts to improve," All Blacks coach Ian Foster said.

"We are determined to finish the tournament strongly and we know that Australia will throw everything at us. This is what Test match rugby is all about and we can't wait."

All Blacks strike with beautiful try
ALL BLACKS (15-1): Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith, Ardie Savea, Dalton Papali'i, Akira Ioane, Sam Whitelock (c), Brodie Retallick, Tyrel Lomax, Codie Taylor, Ethan de Groot

Reserves: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Nepo Laulala, Tupou Vaa'i, Hoskins Sotutu, Finlay Christie, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Sevu Reece

Dave Rennie's men were seconds away from a famous victory before a late Jordie Barrett try sunk their hearts.

Catch the Wallabies take on the All Blacks on Stan Sport. Start your Free Sport Trial Now
It puts the All Blacks in the prime position for the Rugby Championship heading to Eden Park, a place where they have not lost to the Wallabies since 1986.

Here is everything that you need to know about Wallabies v All Blacks

WHEN DO THE WALLABIES PLAY NEXT?
The Wallabies will next play the All Blacks in Auckland on September 24.

It will be the final round of the Rugby Championship, with the Wallabies splitting the series against Argentina and South Africa before their narrow loss in Melbourne.

Dave Rennie's men will then embark on a five-game Spring Tour, with clashes against Scotland, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales on the schedule

sew
In case you have found a mistake in the text, please send a message to the author by selecting the mistake and pressing Ctrl-Enter.
danamania 0
Joined: 1 year ago
Comments (0)

    No comments yet

You must be logged in to comment.

Sign In / Sign Up