Rugby: North v South match teams revealed

The two teams for the Saturday's North v South match at Sky Stadium in Wellington have been named and as expected it will see a battle between Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo'unga.

The two All Blacks first five-eighths will face off while Beauden will also be up against his brother Jordie who has been named at fullback for the South.

The North side features five Blues players in the pack including number eight Hoskins Sotutu who impressed early in the Super Rugby season. Former Hurricanes pairing Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara will link up with Aaron Smith named on the bench.

Barrett's Blues teammate Rieko Ioane has been named at centre alongside Anton Lienert-Brown while the side features a dynamic back three of Caleb Clarke, Sevu Reece and Damian McKenzie.

The South is dominated by Crusaders with Chiefs prop Nepo Laulala the odd one out in the tight five.

The South side also have pace and skill in a back three of George Bridge, Will Jordan, Jordie Barrett with Jack Goodhue and Braydon Ennor in the centres. Brad Weber has been named at halfback inside of Mo'unga.

North Head Coach John Plumtree said: "It's an exciting squad that we've picked for this special match. There's a huge amount of lot of talent in the side. There's some real power in the forwards and some speed in the backs.

"The North has gelled together really well this week and the players are having a lot of fun. They're really excited at the challenge against the South and certainly not lacking in any motivation. There will be a real intensity to the match with two really good teams going toe to toe," Plumtree added.

The Head Coach of the South team, Brad Mooar, said the South side had some strong combinations, with additional strength and pace thrown in as well.

"It's always hard to pick those in the 23 and all 28 in our squad could've been selected. We have a fantastic group of men who have all made the most of this week, building relationships and having fun with each other as well as learning new things and formulating our game plan. There's been lots of good-natured banter between the teams and a lot of parochial rivalry."

"The only thing missing at the stadium will be the fans and we're really disappointed we can't share the experience there with them. We know there will be a huge audience watching at home so we hope they'll enjoy what's shaping up as match for the history books," Mooar said.

The teams are as follows:

The North team

Forwards: 1. Karl Tu'inukuafe 2. Asafo Aumua, 3. Ofa Tuungafasi, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 5. Tupou Vaa'i, 6. Akira Ioane, 7. Ardie Savea, 8. Hoskins Sotutu.

Backs: 9. TJ Perenara, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Anton Lienert-Brown, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Sevu Reece, 15. Damian McKenzie.

Replacements: 16. Ash Dixon, 17. Ayden Johnstone, 18. Angus Ta'avao, 19. Scott Scrafton, 20. Dalton Papalii, 21. Aaron Smith, 22. Peter Umaga-Jensen, 23. Mitchell Hunt.

The South team

Forwards: 1. Joe Moody, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Nepo Laulala, 4. Samuel Whitelock (captain), 5. Mitchell Dunshea, 6. Shannon Frizell, 7. Tom Christie, 8. Tom Sanders.

Backs: 9. Brad Weber, 10. Richie Mo'unga, 11. George Bridge, 12. Jack Goodhue, 13. Braydon Ennor, 14. Will Jordan, 15. Jordie Barrett

Replacements: 16. Liam Coltman, 17. George Bower, 18. Tyrel Lomax, 19. Manaaki Selby-Rickit, 20. Dillon Hunt, 21. Finlay Christie, 22. Josh Ioane, 23. Leicester Faingaanuku.

North v South kicks off at 7.10pm on Saturday night. Live coverage on nzherald.co.nz, Newstalk ZB and Sky Sport.