New Zealand have made four changes for their final Rugby Championship Test against South Africa tomorrow, while retaining T.J. Perenara at the expense of disgraced halfback Aaron Smith.
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen recalled veteran forwards Jerome Kaino and Sam Whitelock, boasting 152 caps between them, as the All Blacks seek to post 17 consecutive Test wins.
However, with the Rugby Championship already wrapped up, Hansen also continued to give less-experienced players a run, replacing Ardie Savea with rookie loose forward Matt Todd.
“We’ve been able to bring fresh players back into the group, which is vital at this time of the year and allows us to continue to grow some depth,” Hansen said.
“We’re expecting to be facing a very confident South African team after their win over Australia and a torrid battle against our traditional foe,” he added. “We’re expecting them to throw the kitchen sink at us.”
Giant winger Waisake Naholo, who pulled a hamstring in the opening match against Australia, returns to give Julian Savea a rest.
Smith was widely expected to return against the Springboks in Durban, but was suspended over an airport toilet tryst with a mystery woman in Christchurch.
The decision means T.J. Perenara remains at halfback after taking part in last week’s win over Argentina, with Hansen expressing faith in Smith’s understudy.
“Obviously [Smith] is a world-class player and you want to be able to play him, but T.J. has had three good stints there now,” he said.
New Zealand have an underwhelming record of three wins from eight Tests against South Africa in Durban and Hansen said he expected a fierce Springboks’ performance.
“The inconvenient facts are they go well here, so we’ll need to play well,” he said.
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