Australia coach Les Kiss called up rookie Isaac Henry and retained star back Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on the wing in a settled team named Thursday to face New Zealand. Four-Test Queensland Reds midfielder Henry will start at outside centre in the first Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park on Saturday, two months after making his debut against Japan in Osaka. The return of 27-year-old Henry is the only change to the starting side who upset South Africa 42-38 in Perth two weeks ago.
Inside centre Hunter Paisami received a four-week ban for a high tackle against the world champions and is not available. Len Ikitau, who scored two tries in Perth at outside centre, passed a fitness test on an ankle injury and has moved in one place to wear the No 12 jersey. Kiss resisted the urge to restore Suaalii to the midfield, where he has played the majority of his 25 Tests.
Instead the rugby league convert will remain on the left wing, where he shone in the extra space against the Springboks, most notably with his prowess under the high ball. The starting pack is the same but there are a number of changes among the replacements. Two key bench forwards from Perth – flanker Tom Hooper and prop Taniela Tupou – have returned to their clubs in Europe as the two-match Bledisloe Cup series falls outside World Rugby’s international window.
Young prop Massimo de Lutiis and back-rower Nick Champion de Crespigny come onto the bench, along with hooker Josh Nasser. Fly-half Declan Meredith is also on the bench, with Kiss going from a 6-2 to a 5-3 forwards-backs split. Kiss is unbeaten in his first five Tests since succeeding former coach Joe Schmidt, registering four wins and a draw.
Injury setbacks for the All Blacks have opened the door for the Wallabies to end a 40-year Eden Park curse. Gun flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and form winger Fehi Fineanganofo were on Thursday both ruled out of the Bledisloe Cup opener. Mo’unga tore his calf muscle at training on Tuesday and will miss Saturday’s Auckland Test as well as next week’s rematch in Sydney.
Fineanganofo, who scored a record 17 tries for the champion Hurricanes in the last Super Rugby Pacific season, failed concussion tests that he’d initially passed after suffering a head knock in club rugby. He had been eyeing his first start of the Test season against the Wallabies, while Mo’unga had taken the reins from Ruben Love when the No 10 hurt his ankle during the South Africa series. Captain Ardie Savea (shoulder), Luke Jacobson (elbow), Anton Lienert-Brown (knee), Billy Proctor (shoulder), Caleb Clarke (shoulder), Ollie Norris (knee) and Patrick Tuipulotu (calf) are also sidelined by injury.
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