All Blacks team named for second DHL New Zealand Lions Series Test against British & Irish Lions

Jun 29 • General News • 1197 Views • Comments Off on All Blacks team named for second DHL New Zealand Lions Series Test against British & Irish Lions

The All Blacks team to play the second Test against the British and Irish Lions at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, on Saturday 1 July has been named.

The match day 23 for the DHL New Zealand Lions Series Test is (with Test caps in brackets):

1. Joe Moody (26)
2. Codie Taylor (17)
3. Owen Franks (92)
4. Brodie Retallick (62)
5. Samuel Whitelock (86)
6. Jerome Kaino (79)
7. Sam Cane (42)
8. Kieran Read (98) – Captain
9. Aaron Smith (60)
10. Beauden Barrett (51)
11. Rieko Ioane (3)
12. Sonny Bill Williams (35)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (11)
14. Waisake Naholo (12)
15. Israel Dagg (63)
16. Nathan Harris (6)
17. Wyatt Crockett (60)
18. Charlie Faumuina (48)
19. Scott Barrett (6)
20. Ardie Savea (14)
21. TJ Perenara (31)
22. Aaron Cruden (48)
23. Ngani Laumape – new cap

The match day squad sees two expected changes through injury. Winger Waisake Naholo has been named on the right wing with Israel Dagg moving to fullback. Anton Lienert-Brown comes in at centre with new All Black Ngani Laumape being rewarded for his standout performance for the Hurricanes on Tuesday night, coming into the match day 23.

All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen said: “Whilst it’s disappointing to lose both Ben Smith and Ryan Crotty, it creates an opportunity for others. ‘Izzy’ (Israel Dagg) is a world-class back three player, as is Anton in the midfield, and both Waisake and Ngani are coming into the Test side following outstanding performances against the Lions for their respective Super franchises.

“Whilst we were happy with the win last weekend, we know that it was just a start, in what is a three-Test Series. That means the job is far from done. It’s going to require us to take our game to a higher level. It’s going to be very demanding, physically and mentally, on both sides.

“We’re aware the British and Irish Lions have their backs to the wall and will chuck everything at us to keep themselves alive in the Series. They are a quality side who we respect immensely.

“In reality, last week’s Test could’ve gone either way had they taken more of their chances. Our job will be to make sure that we shut down their counter-attack better than we did last weekend and at the same time, win the critical moments across the 80 minutes. As always, it’ll start with the battle of the tight five.

“We’ve worked hard throughout the week in our preparation here in Wellington and are now looking forward to Saturday.”

Mini biography – Ngani Laumape

Born on 22 April 1993 in Palmerston North, 24-year-old Ngani Laumape attended Palmerston North Boys’ High School. He toured the UK and Thailand with the school’s First XV and was selected to play second-five for the New Zealand Secondary Schools team in 2011. Despite his success, he made the decision to sign with the Warriors rugby league team when he left school and by 2014 he was an established starter in the squad. The following year he investigated a return to rugby and he made his Investec Super Rugby debut for the Hurricanes in the opening match of the 2016 season. He went on to make 11 appearances, including seven starts, to help the Hurricanes win the club’s inaugural Super Rugby title. His strong performances in 2017 saw him lead the competition early for line breaks and defenders beaten and he’s currently joint leader on the competition try scoring table with 14 tries.

Interesting Facts

* The DHL New Zealand Lions Series is the 13th tour to New Zealand by the Lions. The first game between the Lions and the All Blacks was in 1904. The teams have played 39 Test matches. The All Blacks have won 30 of those matches.
* Loose forward Jerome Kaino will play his 80th Test match on Saturday.