Bledisloe Cup rugby: All Blacks set to make changes for final test against Wallabies in Brisbane

John Plumtree has confirmed the All Blacks will look to make changes for this weekend's clash against the Wallabies. Photo / Photosport

With the Bledisloe Cup locked away for another year, the All Blacks will give players in the squad to opportunity for individual achievement when they meet the Wallabies in Brisbane.

The All Blacks took a large squad for their four-match jaunt in Australia, naming 36 players rather than the Rugby Championship standard 31. Among those 36, 15 have played fewer than 10 tests, while six are yet to make their debut in the black jersey.

The All Blacks will play their final match against the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday night, before two matches against Argentina with a bye in between to complete their Tri-Nations schedule.

With plenty of time still to be spent across the Tasman and more football to be played, assistant coach John Plumtree said this week would see them implement some rest and rotation.

"There will be some changes," Plumtree confirmed.

"We've got some players knocking on the door and there's been some awesome competition for spots, and you can expect some changes to freshen players up.

"As selectors, we also want to see a few players that have performed really well during Super (Rugby Aotearoa) get the opportunity to pull on the jersey."

This year has already seen the emergence of young talents at the top level; 21-year-old winger Caleb Clarke has already made a name for himself as a strong, skilled and physical presence out wide, while 22-year-old loose forward Hoskins Sotutu's physical style of play has translated well from Super Rugby to the international level.

Waiting in the wings, some of the country's most exciting young talents away their opportunity in the black jersey, with the likes of Du'Plessis Kirifi, Cullen Grace and Peter Umaga-Jensen with the squad but yet to earn their first cap.

That could, however, come sooner rather than later.

"It wasn't a long-term plan," Plumtree said of rotating the squad.

"The Bledisloe Cup was obviously the priority and the Tri-Nations is now where our mindset has shifted to; winning that second trophy. We're on tour, we have a big group of players, everyone's keen to impress and some guys in the weekend are going to get that opportunity."

Plumtree's comments echoed what team coach Ian Foster said last week of rotating in the team's young talent, with Foster noting the games played in Australia were not part of a box-ticking exercise.

While the Bledisloe Cup remains locked away for another year, the All Blacks are expecting a physical performance from the Wallabies on Saturday night after they were embarrassed 43-5 in Sydney last weekend.

It was the Wallabies' biggest ever lost to their New Zealand counterparts, and Plumtree expected they would be dialling into that hurt and bring a much more formidable performance at a ground the All Blacks have struggled on in the past, with just one win in their last three matches at Suncorp Stadium.

"Have we used that as a motivating factor? No, not really," Plumtree said of the All Blacks' history in Brisbane.

"Our sole purpose right now is to keep improving as a group and keep setting small challenges for the team. Obviously, this week there's going to be some changes as well, and that will provide a different type of excitement and energy within the group in this build up.

"Then we have to look at the actual day of the test match. We have to travel on the day so we have a bus trip, a flight and a bus trip. We arrive a couple of hours before the game and have to rest up and then get our preparation done. This is a whole new kettle of fish in terms of our matchday preparation so there are some challenges there in themselves that we have to address and the boys have to put in their mindset for the week around their preparation.

"But it hasn't been addressed really to the team that we haven't done well in Brisbane. It's not really a factor for us right now."