All you need to know ahead of the the All Blacks’ first test of the year against Argentina at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza on Sunday, 9 July (kickoff at 7.10am):
Damian McKenzie was handed an unexpected start at first-five ahead of Richie Mo’unga in the New Zealand teamfacing Argentina on Sunday in the opening round of the Rugby Championship.
McKenzie played in Japan last year in a move which might have signalled the end of his All Blacks career but he has had an exceptional season in which he led the Chiefs to the Super Rugby Pacific final.
The All Blacks selectors know what Mo’unga can do, so have taken the chance to try out McKenzie while naming the out-of-form Beauden Barrett at fullback. At the same time, they appear to be keeping under wraps their best 15 which will start against the world champion Springboks in Wellington next weekend.
Chiefs winger Emoni Narawa will make his test debut and lock Josh Lord will play his third test and first since 2021 in a second-row partnership with Scott Barrett. Veteran locks Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick have been omitted from the match 23 in another sign of planning for the South Africa match.
“We have taken the need to build combinations in a vital year and balanced it with the need to manage the squad after Super Rugby,” coach Ian Foster said. “This is obviously a massive year and we are really confident in the way that we’ve been building. We have had a short buildup but an effective one.”
Saturday’s match will be the first ever played in Mendoza and all 42,500 seats were sold two months before the match.
Damian McKenzie hasn't played for the All Blacks since 2021. Photo / Getty Images
Teams:
All Blacks: Beauden Barrett, Emoni Narawa, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Damian McKenzie, Aaron Smith, Ardie Savea, Sam Cane (c), Shannon Frizell, Josh Lord, Scott Barrett, Tyrel Lomax, Dane Coles, Ethan de Groot.
Argentina: Emiliano Boffelli, Bautista Delguy, Matias Moroni, Lucio Cinti, Mateo Carreras, Santiago Carreras, Gonzalo Bertranou, Rodrigo Bruni, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Pablo Matera, Tomas Lavanini, Matias Alemanno, Lucio Sordoni, Julian Montoya (c), Thomas Gallo.
Reserves: Agustin Creevy, Mayco Vivas, Eduardo Bello, Pedro Rubiolo, Santiago Grondona, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Nicolas Sanchez, Matias Orlando.
