Whitelock leads All-Blacks for Championship decider

Sam Whitelock is to lead a New Zealand team that includes six changes from the side that beat Australia last week, as they face the same opposition on home soil this Saturday.

The match will not decide the destination of The Rugby Championship regardless of the outcome, with South Africa’s game against Argentina later in the day crucial to determining the destination of the trophy.

But a heavy win for New Zealand will put them on the brink of retaining their crown, with the All Blacks already having a 13-point points difference advantage on second place South Africa.

If they could have done, it is likely New Zealand would have avoided making so many changes for this crucial match, having three times retained the same starting line-up from game to game in the competition this year.

23 for Saturday 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zthRPD4TxC

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) September 21, 2022

Whitelock skippers the side with usual captain Sam Cane out injured, and Cane is replaced by Dalton Papali’i at openside.

Scott Barrett is also out, with his place at blindside taken by Akira Ioane, while Ardie Savea is back again at number eight having sat out the last game for the birth of his son.

Barrett’s brothers both start, with Jordie shifted from full-back to inside centre, and Beauden coming filling in the gap at 15, while Codie Taylor comes straight into the squad as starting hooker.

But the props, second rows, half-backs and wingers all remain the same in New Zealand’s team, as they prepare to return to Eden Park, a ground where they are unbeaten since 1994 having won their last 47 games there.

All Blacks boss Ian Foster felt improvement would be key for his troops to make sure his side stayed ahead of South Africa, as he relished the second and final Bledisloe Cup game to be contested between New Zealand and Australia in 2022.

“This year’s Championship is so tightly contested and our group is continuing to make shifts to improve,” he 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.”

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