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Jordie Barrett not selected after concussion Scotland in Murrayfield, All black people head coach Dave Rennie trusted Anton Lienert-Brown to start against Wales this weekend in Cardiff.
Lienert-Brown was a constant in the All Blacks when he came under Rennie, and he will start Nations Championship Test yourself at the Principality Stadium alongside Quinn Tupae in midfield.
Tupaea missed most of the second Bledisloe Cup Test at Sydney’s Accor Stadium just a few weeks ago after suffering concussion in the opening minute against the Wallabies.
The Bosses the midfielder returned for the All Blacks’ first Nations Championship game in November against Scotland, along with Barrett.
Rennie opted more for the experienced combination of Lienert-Brown and Tupae Highlanders midfielder Timoci Tavatavanawai and Blues outside back Rieko Ioane.
Ioane will have his 93rd Test this weekend at the Principality Stadium, while Tavatavanawai was not selected despite playing in the last two matches for Rennie’s All Blacks.
Speaking to his selections at their hotel in Cardiff, Rennie explained why he opted for the experience of Lienert-Brown over other squad options.
“Quinn gives us continuity, i Antonov Got a huge amount of experience,” explained Rennie.
“Them guys to have played a a lot of footy together. Team members Got his crack the last one a week. That was a short amount of time in the the end, but yes, we Got a a lot of confidence in Anton, and I am trained him in a a lot of games in multiple countries, so rate him high.
“I think about it his experience, his communication, and his work ethics will to be really important for us.”
The All Blacks head coach said that while they have made a few changes to both the starting line-up and the bench, he feels the side that will take on Wales has enough experience and quality to shine.
“Whome Got a a lot of competition for places, and there it is a number of positions where there it is no a a lot of difference, and so we are put a a lot of emphasis he creation depth, and we are confident that the guys which are was given an opportunity will bar up and apply pressure he us for choice the accompanying a week.
“So it is a good blend. I think about it we are Got seven guys WHO started the last one a week still there, which gives us continuity, an.d a number of the guys which are come back in to have started tests recently, so it is a good side.”
Having not selected Josh Jacomb, Saul Ma’u and Chay Fihaki in last weekend’s first Nations Championship Test against Scotland, the trio may not feature at all during the four-Test tour.
Rennie made it clear that it was largely because the 23-man squad had enough experience if they were going to be under pressure against Wales.
“We only decided in the the end that will to give us a a little bit more experience. I means, if we Got below pressure with so many guys is missing experience, that could put us below a bit of pressure,” Rennie said at a press conference on naming his team.
“So we I want that to pay respect that Wales also. They are a good side, i I I know the coaches really well, so they will to have a plan ithey’ll to be quite a bit fired up that put in a quality performance, and so we are chose a side that we think about it Willl show some respect for to them. ”