Codie Taylor will captain the All Blacks for the first time in his 110th Test when New Zealand face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening, with coach Scott Rennie describing the milestone as a proud moment for the veteran hooker.
Taylor returns from injury to lead a side that carries significant Test-match intent, with props Xavier Numia and Tyrel Lomax also making their first appearances of the tour. Beauden Barrett starts at fullback, Rieko Ioane and Anton Lienert-Brown form the midfield, and Josh Jacomb gets the nod at flyhalf with Cortez Ratima — on his third tour outing — at scrumhalf. Peter Lakai starts at number eight, flanked by Anton Segner and Simon Parker, with Patrick Tuipulotu and Fabian Holland in the engine room.
Six players who featured in Tuesday's 54-0 win over the Sharks back up: Lord, Sititi, Preston, Ratima, Tavatavanawai and Narawa. In total, 14 of the 23 named against the Bulls also played in the tour opener against the Stormers.
Rennie was direct about the stakes, flagging the match as the All Blacks' final preparation before the first Test against the Springboks. "There is healthy competition for Test spots, so this is another opportunity for players to put their hands up for selection," he said.
Kick-off at Loftus is at 19h00, with Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli in charge.