Blues duo Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Stephen Perofeta have been handed their first starts for the All Blacks in Saturday’s clash against Japan in Tokyo.
Tuivasa-Sheck will get his shot at the No 12 jersey, while Perofeta starts at fullback in a team also featuring five players returning from injury.
HalfbackFinlay Christie has been named to play his second test in the No 9 jersey, while Aaron Smith provides cover. If required to take the field, Smith will equal Dan Carter as the sixth-most capped All Black with 112 tests.
Braydon Ennor will partner Tuivasa-Sheck in midfield, while Anton Lienert-Brown is set to earn his first cap since November last year from the bench, after missing the start of the international season due to a shoulder injury.
Six players have been retained from the team’s win over Australia in Auckland, which clinched the Rugby Championship.
Balancing continuity while building experience across the squad has been part of this week’s focus for head coach Ian Foster.
“This Northern Tour is going to be huge,” said Foster. “We see four incredibly tough tests ahead and this one against Japan will ask some serious questions of us.
“We want to show that we are ready to respond. We want to show that we have put in the work required to lift our game even further after the Rugby Championship.
“We have a lot of respect for Japanese rugby, the fans and the culture of this country as a whole. What an exciting way to kick off the next part of our journey as a group.”
Foster said it’s a big chance for the inexperienced midfield of Tuivasa-Sheck and Ennor, who have a combined seven test appearances.
“We see this as an opportunity for Roger and for Braydon. They’ve been a lot training together on the other side of the team so they know each other through a lot of training hours and both players have worked really hard without getting the reward of selection so it’s key for them to get on the park and show what they’ve learned.”
Stephen Perofeta and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will get their first starts for the All Blacks. Photo / Getty
Foster also suggested Perofeta, who made his sole All Blacks appearance in a 50-second stint against Argentina in August, could be “moved around” during the game, most likely to first-five with no natural No 10s on the bench.
“I’m excited to see him play and I know he’s excited about playing in the black jersey,” Foster said.
The All Blacks make their debut at Japan National Stadium which recently hosted the Olympic Games.
With a sell-out crowd of 65,000, it will be Japan’s largest ever crowd in an international rugby match played outside the 2019 World Cup.
Shortly after the All Blacks kickoff in Tokyo, the Black Ferns will take on Wales in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals back home in Whangārei.
Foster wished them all the best on behalf of the team.
“Just from us in the All Blacks, a big good luck to the Black Ferns. It’s an awesome opportunity, the quarter-finals, and we are right behind them and can’t wait to see them perform on that New Zealand stage and do very well. So we are thinking of you ladies and all the best.”
