Trio of All Blacks in Barbarians side to face New Zealand will make it 'like a derby', says Ian Foster

All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster is confident Saturday's game against the Barbarians will retain its magic despite feeling like a "local derby".

New Zealand warm up for the autumn internationals at Twickenham with the traditional game against the invitational side, who will include three of their fellow countrymen in Ben Franks, Steven Luatua and Julian Savea.

Head coach Robbie Deans has selected 13 Kiwis in his 26-man group, which also contains two of the Barbarians involved in the 31-28 defeat to the Wallabies last Saturday in wing Taqele Naiyaravoro and second-row Sam Carter.

The presence of so many All Blacks leads Foster to frame the match in the context of a regional rivalry, but he is confident this week's selection will not stray far from their traditions of running rugby.

"It's certainly changed," he said. "It is what it is. We agreed to a game and it's a game we're looking forward to but clearly the concept has changed hasn't it?

"It's more like a local derby. The Barbarians club has a bit of magic about it and whoever pulls on that black and white jersey is going to love playing for it.

"I think it's going to be a great occasion; they've got an ethos and a way to play and there's going to be a lot of guys in there with a lot of personal motivation and that's going to make it a pretty cool game.

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"It's certainly one that's going to be really challenging for us and we've got to make sure we use it to make progress and build for the three Test matches we've got coming up."

Savea is a veteran of 46 tries in 53 Tests but found himself in the international wilderness for this year's Rugby Championship.

He has been in fine form for his club Wellington, helping them win the Mitre 10 Championship, and although he was left out of the New Zealand squad to face France, Scotland and Wales, Foster says the All Black coaching staff have been pleased with his progress.

"I'd love him to make a really big point," he said. "He's really progressed and he's taken the challenge on. I thought he looked really sharp in the final and he's done everything we were looking for him to do.

"The fact he's playing well and trending upwards is great news. It's going to create a bit of an edge because he's been a big part of us for a long time."