Damian McKenzie will wear No.10 in the All Blacks team for the first Bledisloe Cup Test, with Beauden Barrett at fullback and Scott Barrett back at lock.
All Blacks coach Dave Rennie named his side on Thursday 8 October for the Test against the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday 10 October, allblacks.com confirmed. Kick-off is 5:10pm AEDT.
The selection follows the loss of Richie Mo’unga, who tore his calf at training on Tuesday, and Fehi Fineanganofo, who suffered a concussion and a hamstring strain playing for Bay of Plenty. Both have been ruled out of the two-Test series.
McKenzie shifts to first five
McKenzie moves from fullback to start at first five-eighth for the first time this season. Most observers had expected Beauden Barrett to take the No.10 jersey, RNZ reported, but Barrett instead starts at fullback in what will be his 150th match for the All Blacks. Uncapped Josh Jacomb misses the matchday 23, the NZ Herald noted.
Barrett brothers together again
Scott Barrett returns to the starting line-up for the first time since November 2025, partnering Josh Lord at lock, with Jordie Barrett named at No.12. Codie Taylor captains the side from hooker, and Shannon Frizell is on the bench, in line for his first Test since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.
“The Bledisloe Cup means a huge amount to this group. There’s a lot of history and pride tied up in it, and every Test against the Wallabies carries real weight for us,” Rennie said in the team announcement.
“We have huge respect for this Australian side and the way they have been playing. We know we’ll need to be at our best.
“We’ve been on the road for the last eight games, so the boys are rapt to be home and really looking forward to running out at Eden Park one last time this year.”
New Zealand has held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003, and Australia has not won at Eden Park since 1986. Les Kiss is yet to name his Wallabies side at the time of writing. The second Test is at Accor Stadium in Sydney on Saturday 17 October (3:45pm AEDT).
All Blacks team v Wallabies (Test caps in brackets)
- 1. Ethan de Groot (45)
- 2. Codie Taylor (112), captain
- 3. Fletcher Newell (41)
- 4. Scott Barrett (89)
- 5. Josh Lord (17)
- 6. Tupou Vaa’i (51)
- 7. Peter Lakai (14)
- 8. Wallace Sititi (23)
- 9. Cam Roigard (24)
- 10. Damian McKenzie (81)
- 11. Leroy Carter (10)
- 12. Jordie Barrett (85)
- 13. Quinn Tupaea (29)
- 14. Will Jordan (61)
- 15. Beauden Barrett (145)
Reserves
- 16. Asafo Aumua (26)
- 17. George Bower (29)
- 18. Pasilio Tosi (17)
- 19. Shannon Frizell (33)
- 20. Anton Segner (2)
- 21. Kyle Preston (5)
- 22. Rieko Ioane (89)
- 23. Josh Moorby (5)
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