All Blacks stick with Springbok slayers
Oct 5, 2017 - 4:58 AM The All Blacks have turned to the players who had slayed the Springboks 57-0 in Auckland for an anticipated fierce Rugby Championship response in Cape Town.Only lock Brodie Retallick isn't back in the starting 15 for Sunday morning's (AEDT) final match in the championship.
Retallick is unavailable due to a family bereavement.
His place goes to Scott Barrett while all five players, who had missed last week's trip to Argentina, have been named in the match-day 23.
Five-eighth Lima Sopoaga returns on the bench, while centre Ryan Crotty replaces Anton Lienert-Brown from the starting team who had beaten the Pumas 36-10 in Buenos Aires.
The three returnees up front are lock Sam Whitelock and flankers Sam Cane and Liam Squire, respectively replacing Luke Romano, Matt Todd and Vaea Fifita.
A fifth starting change is Nehe Milner-Skudder's recall for Waisake Naholo on the right wing.
There is still no room for veteran flanker Jerome Kaino.
"Liam Squire's played outstanding and we left him at home to give him a rest and freshen him up for this game. It would be pointless to just chuck JK (Kaino) in," Hansen said.
"There's a Test match in a couple of weeks, quite a few games on the northern tour, so JK will get opportunities in those games at some point."
David Havili is the outside-back reserve and halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow earns a rare spot on the bench ahead of TJ Perenara.
Hansen says it was simply the turns of Lienert-Brown and Perenara to be rested.
He is anxious to keep the workload down for his travel-weary players.
With the Rugby Championship already sown up, he wants them on high alert against a home team he says will still be stinging from their hiding three weeks ago.
"We know we'll be playing a proud Springbok side which will be determined to rectify what happened in Albany," Hansen said.
ALL BLACKS:
Damian McKenzie, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Ryan Crotty, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read (capt), Sam Cane, Liam Squire, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock, Nepo Laulala, Dane Coles, Kane Hames.
Res: Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Matt Todd, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Lima Sopoaga, David Havili.
Source: AAP
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