McKenzie at fullback in New Zealand lineup to face Australia
New Zealand All Blacks pick Damian McKenzie at fullback for 3rd Bledisloe test against Australia
TOKYO (AP) — Damian McKenzie will start at fullback and T.J. Perenara at scrumhalf in a surprising All Blacks backline formation for Saturday's third Bledisloe Cup test against Australia at Yokohama.
Head coach Steve Hansen was expected to pick his strongest XV for the match, even though New Zealand has already clinched the three-test series to secure the trophy for the 16th-straight year.
Instead, he moved fullback Ben Smith to the wing to accommodate McKenzie and is starting Perenara ahead of No. 1 scrumhalf Aaron Smith, who is on the bench.
Changes among the forwards are mostly dictated by injuries. Joe Moody returns at loosehead prop after recovering from a
Lock Brodie Retallick will make his comeback from the bench, with Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett starting in the second row. Liam Squire also makes a return from injury at blindside flanker while Ardie Savea will start on the openside in place of Sam Cane, who is recovering from a fractured neck vertebra.
Matt Todd, called up from his Japanese club, provides loose-forward cover from the bench while prop Nepo Laulala also returns from injury among the reserves.
McKenzie's return at fullback is the most surprising feature of Hansen's selection. He made his last appearance as a replacement in New Zealand's two-point loss to South Africa in Wellington, making the handling error in the last minute which may have cost the All Blacks a match-winning try.
After a lengthy effort to turn McKenzie into an understudy to flyhalf Beauden Barrett, Hansen has allowed the Chiefs player to revert to his specialist position of fullback.
Sonny Bill Williams has been named to play his 50th test at center in a midfield partnership with Ryan Crotty. Williams has also been hampered by injury this season, playing only three of New Zealand's nine tests.
After closely-contested matches against South Africa, Hansen is hoping for a strong performance from the All Blacks ahead of their tests against England and Ireland.
"We'll be up against a good Australian team and they'll be desperate to win but so are we," he said. "We know that they'll come with a lot of passion and physicality but our focus this week has been about us and what we want to bring — intensity, skill and a triple threat game.
"Being well-prepared, clear in our roles and excited about the opportunity in playing this one-off test against Australia in Japan will be a good start in achieving a quality performance."
Australia coach Michael Cheika was expected to announce his squad later Thursday.
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New Zealand: Damian McKenzie, Ben Smith, Ryan Crotty, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Beauden Barrett, T.J. Perenara; Kieran Read (captain), Ardie Savea, Liam Squire, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock, Owen Franks, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody. Reserves: Nathan Harris, Karl Tu'inukuafe, Nepo Laulala, Brodie Retallick, Matt Todd, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo'unga, Anton Lienert-Brown.