NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

All Blacks: Fekitoa gets nod while Barrett waits

Kris Shannon
By Kris Shannon
Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·
18 Jun, 2014 09:56 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Malakai Fekitoa will make his first test start on Saturday. Photo / Phibbs

Malakai Fekitoa will make his first test start on Saturday. Photo / Phibbs

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Malakai Fekitoa will make his starting debut for the All Blacks this weekend but that honour could have easily belonged to Beauden Barrett.

When it was revealed that Conrad Smith had broken a bone in his thumb against England last weekend, ruling him out of Saturday's third test in Hamilton, two things happened.

First, it left the All Blacks needing a replacement at centre, with Fekitoa, the heir apparent to Smith's No 13 jersey, the obvious option for inclusion.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And second, it quashed any thoughts the All Blacks coaches had of handing Barrett a maiden run at first five-eight, leaving Aaron Cruden to play pivot in front of his home fans at Waikato Stadium.

Barrett has been breathing down the neck of Cruden throughout the English series, impressing off the bench in each of the first two tests. But the strong case he had made for a starting spot was dashed when his Hurricanes teammate came up lame following the All Blacks' series-sealing win in Dunedin.

Instead, Barrett will have to watch on as Fekitoa enjoys the chance to impress from the opening kick off, content with another cameo and safe in the knowledge his time will come.

"With Malakai at centre, that's a new combination with him and Ma'a (Nonu), and one of the reasons why we haven't changed and given Beauden a start is that," Steve Hansen said after naming his side this morning. "We don't want two new combinations on the park. The other [reason] is we obviously trust Crudes to do the job.

"We thought a lot about it. [Barrett] is playing really well but the team comes first. We just feel that's the best thing to do - run with that combination early and bring Beaudy on later in the game. He'll get plenty of game time."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And he should certainly earn an opportunity to don the No 10 jersey at some point in the near future, even with the looming prospect of a returning Dan Carter. Hansen pointed to the example of Ben Smith, whose long wait for a run at fullback ended in spectacular fashion at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

"If you've got an imagination you can work out what [Barrett] is going to do when he starts, because he does it when he comes on," Hansen said. "He's been a fantastic player off the bench for us - if you think about all the tests when he's come on, he's made a difference."

Hansen is also trusting Fekitoa will make a difference in midfield on Saturday night, unperturbed by any potential problems created by he and Nonu sharing a similar style.
"I think, though they're similar in some ways, they're vastly different in others. They'll be a good combination going forward but, like any combination, it takes time.

"I think [Fekitoa] is going to be a special player and they guy inside him is already a special player. As long as they talk to each other during the game and they're reading what's in front of them, both defensively and attacking wise, there shouldn't be too many problems."

Discover more

Opinion

Justin Marshall: Clever use of driving mauls a lethal weapon

18 Jun 05:00 PM
All Blacks

All Blacks: Fekitoa gets first test start

18 Jun 05:00 PM
Opinion

Chris Rattue: Quiet tour shy of killer instincts

18 Jun 09:30 PM
Opinion

Gregor Paul: Hansen right to back top combo

18 Jun 09:30 PM

The only other change to the run-on XV sees the return of Kieran Read at the base of the scrum. His inclusion, after a spate of complications from concussion, sees an in-form Jerome Kaino shift to blindside flanker and leaves Liam Messam the unlucky man out.

"It was tough but you've got to make tough decisions," Hansen said. "We know that [Read] is not conditioned enough to go 80, so we won't ask him to do that. We'll just ask him to go 40 or 50 and then let Liam loose."

All Blacks v England
Waikato Stadium, 7.35pm Saturday
15 - Ben Smith
14 - Cory Jane
13 - Malakai Fekitoa
12 - Ma'a Nonu
11 - Julian Savea
10 - Aaron Cruden
9 - Aaron Smith
8 - Kieran Read
7 - Richie McCaw (c)
6 - Jerome Kaino
5 - Sam Whitelock
4 - Brodie Retallick
3 - Owen Franks
2 - Dane Coles
1 - Tony Woodcock

Reserves:
Keven Mealamu, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Patrick Tuipulotu, Liam Messam, TJ Perenara, Beauden Barrett, Ryan Crotty.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from All Blacks

All Blacks

All Blacks make widespread changes for final French test

Watch
Premium
OpinionGregor Paul

Gregor Paul: The risks in Razor's change-heavy All Blacks side

All Blacks

All Blacks team naming: 10 changes to side to face France


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from All Blacks

All Blacks make widespread changes for final French test
All Blacks

All Blacks make widespread changes for final French test

Liam Napier and Elliott Smith discuss All Blacks team for third French test.

Watch
17 Jul 06:14 AM
Premium
Premium
Gregor Paul: The risks in Razor's change-heavy All Blacks side
Gregor Paul
OpinionGregor Paul

Gregor Paul: The risks in Razor's change-heavy All Blacks side

17 Jul 01:33 AM
All Blacks team naming: 10 changes to side to face France
All Blacks

All Blacks team naming: 10 changes to side to face France

16 Jul 11:52 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP