New Zealand drop Damian McKenzie to bench for Wellington game against Australia
Sam Cane is set to become 13th New Zealand player to feature in 100 Tests
©PA
New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson has dropped fly half Damian McKenzie to the bench for the second and final Bledisloe Cup game against Australia to be played in Wellington on Saturday.
McKenzie kicked 15 points in the last game against the Wallabies in Sydney but now makes way for Beauden Barrett, who returns after missing the previous encounter due to illness.
With Jordie Barrett unavailable due to a knee injury, Anton Lienert-Brown comes in the midfield joining Reiko Ioane while Sevu Reece and Caleb Clare are at the wings with Will Jordan retaining his place at fullback.
TJ Perenara will start at scrum half while Sam Cane is set to become the 13th New Zealand player to feature in 100 Tests.
“This will be a particularly special night for Sam and TJ and the boys will put in a performance that honours their contribution to this team. Sam will be joining an exclusive club of All Black centurions, which is testament to his fortitude and work ethic,” Robertson said.
“As a Wellington man and the most-capped Hurricane of all time, we know that TJ is a crowd favourite in the capital and we look forward to him expressing himself on the field in front of friends and whanau at home.
“Damian McKenzie can provide experienced cover at both first-five and full-back, as Beauden has previously, and it is great to bring David Havili in to complete the 23, providing strong depth across the backline.
“We are excited about the opportunity this week to put in a complete performance against the Wallabies in Wellington.”
New Zealand XV: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Reserves: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 David Havili
