Mark Telea will make his New Zealand debut when Ian Foster’s side look for a sixth straight win when they take on Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.
The All Blacks maintained their remarkable 69-year unbeaten run against Wales with a dominant 55-23 success in Cardiff last Saturday, but Foster has opted to call for changes for Sunday’s Test.
Blues winger Telea is one of the main beneficiaries of Foster’s decision to make seven changes and the 25-year-old is excited at the prospect of making his international debut.
“I was cold, waiting for someone else’s name to be called and I was kind of surprised. After that it’s straight to homework,” Telea said.
“It’s more special for my family, for all the work they’ve seen me do and the result of it all – that’s why it’s special.
“I told my mum, my dad and my sister and they were happy – tears in their eyes. The old man was happy, he was there from the beginning and saw all the hard work.”
Caleb Clarke is the only man to retain his place in the All Blacks backline after the win over Wales, allowing David Havili and Anton Lienert-Brown – whose last Test start came against Ireland in November 2021 – to slot in .
With Richie Mo’unga rested, Beauden Barrett moves from full-back to the first five, with Scottish-born half-back Finlay Christie also handed a start against his native country.
With New Zealand posting a strong run of form since suffering a shock Rugby Championship loss to Argentina in August, Foster is intrigued to see how his much-changed side will fare.
“We’ve picked a team that excites us this week,” Foster said. “In many ways, this Test is crucial for our tournament as a whole and is a chance to show how we are building as a group.”
Meanwhile, Scotland made three changes from last week’s 28-12 win over Fiji, with Finn Russell winning his 64th cap after returning to the starting XV.
Russell, who has not been involved since the Six Nations in March, has been recalled to the side along with hooker Fraser Brown and center Sione Tuipulotu.
Scotland: Hogg; Graham, Harris, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Russell, Price; Schoeman, Brown, Z Fagerson, R Gray, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Watson, M Fagerson.
REPLACEMENT: Ashman, Sutherland, Nel, J Gray, Dempsey, White, Kinghorn, Bennett.
New Zeland: Barrett, Telea, Lienert-Brown, Havili, Clarke, Barrett, Christie; De Groot, Taukei’aho, Laulala, Whitelock, Barrett, Akira Ioane, Papali’i, Savea.
Substitutions: Taylor, Bower, Newell, Vaa’i, Frizell, Perenara, Perofeta, Rieko Ioane.
