All Blacks Confirm McKenzie and Aumua as Starters for Ireland Test

New Zealand has announced two mandatory alterations to their lineup for Friday night’s match against Ireland in Dublin, with Damian McKenzie and Asafo Aumua set to start. McKenzie will take over at fly-half from Beauden Barrett, while hooker Aumua steps in for Codie Taylor. Both Beauden Barrett and hooker Taylor have been ruled out of the fixture at Aviva Stadium due to injuries sustained during last Saturday’s narrow 24-22 triumph over England. Both athletes failed head injury assessments [HIAs] during that game at Twickenham. George Bell and Stephen Perofeta will join the bench as replacements for McKenzie and Aumua, respectively. Ireland also revealed their squad on Wednesday, noting that prop Tadhg Furlong is unavailable due to a “slight hamstring strain.” This upcoming game marks the first encounter between the two teams since the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, where the All-Blacks secured a tight 28-24 victory in a thrilling contest. New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson commented on the fixture, stating: “This is a highly anticipated match that promises to bring all the intensity and passion that we have come to expect from these two rugby-mad nations, both on and off the field.” Robertson added: “We are really pleased with how the squad has come through this week and our focus has turned quickly to this encounter post-England. We have trained well, and the players are fresh and ready to face a fierce challenge from the Ireland team.” The New Zealand starting XV is as follows: Will Jordan; Mark Tele’a, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke; Damian McKenzie, Cortez Ratima; Tamaita Williams, Asafo Aumua, Tyrel Lomax, Scott Barrett (capt), Tupou Vaa’i, Wallace Sititi, Sam Cane, Ardie Savea. Replacements for New Zealand include: George Bell, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Pasilo Tosi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Samipeni Finau, Cam Roigard, Anton Leinert-Brown, Stephen Perofeta.