Steve Hanson has named his side to start against Ireland with Jack Goodhue and Anton Lienert-Brown the preferred centre partnership in an area of the field where the All Blacks boast an embarassment of riches.
In fact, if we're being honest with ourselves, they have an embarassment of riches in every area, exemplified by the fact that Codie Taylor starts ahead of Dan Coles at hooker, while Ryan Crotty and Ben Smith haven't even made the matchday squad.
The full team is:
1: Joe Moody
2: Codie Taylor
3: Nepo Laulala
4: Brodie Retallick
5: Samuel Whitelock
6: Ardie Savea
7: Sam Cane
8: Kieran Read - captain
9: Aaron Smith
10: Richie Mo’unga
11: George Bridge
12: Anton Lienert-Brown
13: Jack Goodhue
14: Sevu Reece
15: Beauden Barrett
16:Dane Coles
17: Ofa Tuungafasi
18: Angus Ta'avao
19: Scott Barrett
20: Matt Todd
21: T J Perenara
22: Sonny Bill Williams
23: Jordie Barrett
Speaking about his selection, Steve Hanson said:
We feel we’ve selected a great mixture of talent in our 23, who are in great form, and the squad includes many players who have a lot of Rugby World Cup knockout match experience. Together with our experienced management team, that brings a deep understanding of what is needed to get the job done.
Ireland will name their starting team later this morning, amid news that Sean Cronin has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament, with Rob Herring flying out as his replacement.
