All Blacks Return to Lyon for Thrilling Clash with Uruguay
LYON,FRANCE
All Blacks selectors Ian Foster, Jason Ryan and Joe Schmidt have named the team for Thursday’s Rugby World Cup pool match against Uruguay in Lyon.
Regular captain Sam Cane has returned to the starting side for the final pool game at Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
Tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax has also been named in the run-on side for the first time at this Rugby World Cup while flanker Ethan Blackadder is in line to make his tournament debut from the reserves.
Other changes to the team see lock Tupou Vaa’i, number eight Luke Jacobson, halfback Cam Roigard, centre Anton Lienert-Brown, winger Leicester Fainga’anuku and fullback Damian McKenzie brought into the starting XV.
“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.”
The All Blacks and Uruguay first met during a tour of Argentina and Uruguay in 1976, but Friday’s match will mark the first official Test between the two sides and is expected to be played in front of more than 50,000 fans.
Second-rower Sam Whitelock is playing his 23rd Rugby World Cup match, surpassing England’s Jason Leonard and New Zealand’s Richie McCaw for the all-time appearance record.
If used off the bench, Ethan Blackadder will make his RWC debut. His father Todd Blackadder played 12 tests for the All Blacks between 1998 and 2000, but never played at a Rugby World Cup, after missing out on selection for RWC 1999.
Damian McKenzie will start at full-back for the first time since November 2021 against Italy. His past five test caps have been at fly-half or off the bench.
Second-row Sam Whitelock will play his 150th test. He trails only Wales legend Alun Wyn Jones (171) as the most capped player in test rugby. This will be his 23rd Rugby World Cup match, surpassing England’s Jason Leonard and New Zealand’s Richie McCaw for the all-time appearance record.
Victory in this match would also see him surpass Richie McCaw for most Rugby World Cup wins by any player – they are both tied on 20 victories.
A bonus-point win in Lyon will leave the team on 15 points in Pool A, effectively sealing them a spot in the next round given the incredibly slim chance that a three-way tie via Italy beating France comes out against them.
With a clash against Ireland in the last eight their most likely scenario, New Zealand know that even a big win will struggle to instil the fear in their title rivals that previous All Blacks sides have enjoyed.
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) 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)
Uruguay secured a comeback win against Namibia in their last match and have certainly not been pushovers for Italy and France in their encounters with the tier-one teams. Kiwi’s by 50 points.
France v Italy, Sat 7th Oct, France by 20 points. France and NZ to Progress to next round.
Wales v Georgia, Sat 7th Oct, Wales by 15 points. Wales and Fiji to progress to next round.
England v Samoa, Sunday 8th Oct, England by 15 points. England and Argentina to progress to next round.
Ireland v Scotland, Sunday 8th Oct, Ireland by 7 points. Ireland and South Africa to progress to next round.
Ireland: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Jonathan Sexton (captain), Jamison Gibson-Park; Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Peter O’Mahony, Iain Henderson, Tadhg Beirne, Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter. Reserves: Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Keith Earls
Scotland: Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Ali Price; Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge, Jamie Ritchie (captain), Grant Gilchrist, Richie Gray, Zander Fagerson, George Turner, Pierre Schoeman. Reserves: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, WP Nel, Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, Luke Crosbie, George Horne, Ollie Smith
Japan v Argentina, Sunday 8th Oct, Argentina by 10 points. Argentina and England to progress to next round.
Tonga v Romania, Monday 9th Oct, Tonga by 25 points. These two will miss out, as South Africa and Ireland progress to next round.
Fiji v Portugal, Monday 9th Oct, Fiji by 15 points. The Wallabies will be able to watch this on their flight home as Fiji and Wales progress.
Keep watching for further World Cup predictions, and also New Zealand NPC semi finals this weekend ,plus the Pacific Championship in Rugby League. Includes the men’s and women’s sides.
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