All Blacks Head Coach Dave Rennie has named his team to play Wales at Principality Stadium in Cardiff in Round Five of the Nations Championship.

Fullback Beauden Barrett will captain the All Blacks in a Test for the first time, in his 149th Test. Loose forward Anton Segner and wing Fehi Fineanganofo will both make their first Test starts, Segner in his fifth Test and Fineanganofo in his second.

The team includes 10 changes to the match-day 23 that played Scotland in round four of the Nations Championship last weekend, eight of them in the starting side. Prop George Bower, hooker Asafo Aumua, Segner and halfback Cortez Ratima move from the reserves into the starting side, while lock Josh Lord, first five-eighth Richie Mo’unga, midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown and Fineanganofo come into the team. Hooker George Bell, prop Xavier Numia, lock Jamie Hannah, loose forwards Ethan Blackadder and Leicester Fainga’anuku, and halfback Kyle Preston join prop Pasilio Tosi and outside back Rieko Ioane in the reserves.

“Beauden brings such valuable experience and is massively respected by us all. Captaining the All Blacks in a Test is an honour that I know he doesn’t take lightly, so it’ll be a proud day for him and his whānau,” Rennie said. “We have created good depth in this group and there is a lot of competition for places. We have selected a strong side with 783 caps."

All Blacks match-day 23 (Test caps in brackets):

1.  George Bower (32)

2.  Asafo Aumua (28)

3.  Fletcher Newell (44)

4.  Scott Barrett (92)

5.  Josh Lord (18)

6.  Anton Segner (4)

7.  Peter Lakai (17)

8.  Wallace Sititi (26)

9.  Cortez Ratima (26)

10. Richie Mo’unga (57)

11. Josh Moorby (8)

12. Anton Lienert-Brown (94)

13. Quinn Tupaea (32)

14. Fehi Fineanganofo (1)

15. Beauden Barrett (148) - Captain

Replacements:
16. George Bell (4)

17. Xavier Numia (6)

18. Pasilio Tosi (20)

19. Jamie Hannah (1)

20. Ethan Blackadder (15)

21. Leicester Fainga’anuku (12)

22. Kyle Preston (6)

23. Rieko Ioane (92)

Unavailable due to injury: Will Jordan (hamstring)

Wales: Blair Murray, Louis Rees-Zammit, Eddie James, Max Llewellyn, Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Sam Costelow, Tomos Williams, Taine Basham, Jac Morgan, James Botham, Adam Beard, Dafydd Jenkins, Archie Griffin, Dewi Lake (capt), Nicky Smith.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Gareth Thomas, Dillon Lewis, Ben Carter, Taine Plumtree, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Dan Edwards, Louie Hennessey.

MATCH FACTS

  • This will be the 39th Test between the All Blacks and Wales, who first met in 1905.
  • Asafo Aumua and Quinn Tupaea will face Wales for the first time in their All Blacks careers.
  • Beauden Barrett will play his 149th Test, to pass Richie McCaw in the all-time records and be second only to Sam Whitelock on 153 Tests. 
  • Beauden Barrett now has 50 All Blacks Test tries, one ahead of Doug Howlett, and closing in on Will Jordan’s record of 56.
  • Anton Lienert-Brown will play his 99th match for the All Blacks.