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Sam Cane starts for the All Blacks as Sam Whitelock makes 150th Test
By Josh Raisey
All Blacks captain Sam Cane has returned to start in his first match of the World Cup against Uruguay on Thursday in Lyon.
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The flanker pulled out minutes before facing France in the opening game of the tournament, and made his return from the bench in the 96-17 demolition of Italy last Friday.
Prop Tyrel Lomax will also make his first start of the World Cup having also come on as a substitute against the Azzurri, while flanker Ethan Blackadder is set to make his tournament debut from the bench.
Having eclipsed Richie McCaw as the All Blacks’ most capped player last week, lock Sam Whitelock will pass another milestone against Uruguay as he reaches 150 caps, becoming only the second player to achieve that feat after Alun Wyn Jones.
With only a six day turnaround from the Italy win, there are plenty of changes in the squad, with No8 Ardie Savea getting a complete rest after playing virtually every minute for the All Blacks in 2023 so far.
“We still have everything to play for and our group is preparing accordingly,” said All Blacks head coach Ian Foster. “We have plenty of respect for a Uruguay side that has showed just how good they can be in their pool games.
“It is a short turnaround from our last game against Italy but being able to play in Lyon for back-to-back games has helped with our preparation. We are confident in the direction we are heading in so it’s now about putting out another solid performance and growing our game.”
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All Blacks match day 23 (Test caps in brackets)
1. Ofa Tu’ungafasi (56)
2. Codie Taylor (81)
3. Tyrel Lomax (28)
4. Samuel Whitelock (149)
5. Tupou Vaa’i (24)
6. Shannon Frizell (29)
7. Sam Cane (91)
8. Luke Jacobson (17)
9. Cam Roigard (4)
10. Richie Mo’unga (52)
11. Leicester Fainga’anuku (5)
12. Jordie Barrett (53)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (66)
14. Will Jordan (27)
15. Damian McKenzie (44)
Replacements:
16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (27)
17. Tamaiti Williams (4)
18. Fletcher Newell (10)
19. Scott Barrett (65)
20. Ethan Blackadder (9)
21. Finlay Christie (18)
22. Beauden Barrett (119)
23. Caleb Clarke (19)
Still would have liked to see Talea on the field, Jordan fullback I think Mackenzie is better coming off the pine once the opposition is worn down a bit.
Some positive changes but I would dearly like to see some continuity leading into the 1/4s just to give the top side a chance to properly gel
Very tactical of I Forster to test the depth AB has. Resting the brutal engine for the quarter final birth to avoid burnout is good looking/thinking forward.
These combinations are much improved on other alternative line-ups. Loosies with both Cane and Ardie are always under-whelming against big teams. A true 8 and Frizell at 6 lets Cane play a clear role. Lets see how he goes. The midfield could be much improved with ALB's better defense and ability to run off a Jordie off-load. Fainga'anuku should be on the wing - even in big games but certainly on the pine. They missed an opportunity to play Jordan at FB with LF and Telea. I would have kept McKenzie on the pine and left BB in the stands.
Would have liked to see Samisoni start he needs a big run out & game
Personally I like the combo Jordie & ALB
Overall with Brodie carrying a slight injury pretty good squad
I like this, test a few more players out.
Jeez, not sold on Reiko in the big games, not many but always has a glaring error, I wish he'd fulfill his potential but just doesn't seem to cut it for me. How about L Brown at centre. This gives us cover at second five, then finally Fianganuku in the 23, covers wing and centre if needed, needs to be on the field at some stage, along with Roigard and Mckenzie on bench, I think they'd provide some mega impact as our backs bench options.
Good to see Leicester getting a run and Blackadder from the bench. Not disrespecting Uruguay but another blowout on the cards. ABs in the mood to up their game.
Dmac is a better 10 while Jordan is a better 15. Seems a wasted opportunity to play them both out of position. Samisoni could do with a start, same with Blackadder over Jacobson, since they seem intent on not using Jacobson for the big games anyway.
Interesting. Mix of game time and experiment. Is ALB our best centre? Good to see Jacobson and Blackadder get some time.