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The All Blacks selectors have taken a gamble by naming fullback Jordie Barrett and midfielder Ngani Laumape to
make their first Test starts in the deciding test.
While New Zealand's forward pack is unchanged from last weekend's second test, won by the Lions to level the three-test series, the backline is reshaped by three personnel and one positional change.
Barrett, brother of first five Beauden and lock Scott who are also in the match 23 for Eden Park, has been handed a debut in one of the toughest tests the All Blacks have faced in recent years. He starts at fullback, while Israel Dagg moves from that position to the right wing, Julian Savea returns on the left wing and Laumape starts a test for the first time at inside centre.
The Lions named an unchanged starting lineup and bench. Coach Warren Gatland said he was eager to reward those players who had taken part in the second test victory.
"It is not very often on a Lions tour that you get to pick the same 23 for the following game," Gatland said. "We felt we should reward the players for the result and the courage that they showed in coming from 18-9 down, digging themselves out of a hole and then finishing strongly in that last 10 to 15 minutes.
"We are all aware of how big this game is and we are expecting a backlash from the All Blacks. But the pleasing thing about the second test is just how strong we were in the last 10 or 15 minutes in terms of energy and enthusiasm, so we still feel there is another level in us."
