Brodie Retallick to captain All Blacks against Argentina in Rugby Championship
The entire 2021 Rugby Championship between New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina is being shown live and exclusively on Sky in the UK and Ireland; All Blacks beat the Wallabies to maintain their winning start
Last Updated: 10/09/21 7:01am
Lock Brodie Retallick will captain New Zealand for the first time in the absence of Ardie Savea when the All Blacks play Argentina in the Rugby Championship on Australia's Gold Coast on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Arena from 7.55am BST.
Loose forward Savea suffered a head knock in the 38-21 defeat of the Wallabies in Perth last weekend and is replaced at the back of the scrum by Luke Jacobson.
Asafo Aumua will make his first Test start at hooker in place of Codie Taylor, who also suffered a head knock against the Wallabies, while prop Joe Moody was named on the bench for his first match of the year after recovering from foot surgery.
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster said both Savea and Taylor had passed concussion protocols and could have played but he had erred on the side of caution.
"It's been nice to have the luxury of being able to put them in the grandstand this week and in the next two or three weeks have a really energetic squad," he said.
Retallick - the 2014 World Player of the Year - has missed the past two seasons of Super Rugby after an 18-month sabbatical in Japan.
"It's a chance for Brodie to have a different little extra task," said Foster.
"He's back, he's confident, he's got a smile on his face. He's really comfortable in his role and the boys want to follow him."
In other changes, scrum-half TJ Perenara is promoted from the bench to partner fly-half Beauden Barrett, while Sevu Reece and George Bridge will start on the wings in place of Will Jordan and Rieko Ioane.
Full-back Jordie Barrett retained his place in the back three after successfully appealing against the red card he was shown against Australia.
Argentina earned their first-ever win against New Zealand last season in the annual southern hemisphere competition.
All Blacks: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 David Havili, 11 George Bridge, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Luke Jacobson, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Karl Tu'inukuafe.
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei'aho, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Tupou Vaa'i, 20 Ethan Blackadder, 21 Brad Weber, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Rieko Ioane
