Richie Mo'unga has won the race for the All Blacks No. 10 jersey for the opening test of 2021 against Tonga.
The Crusaders star will start at first-five at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday, consigning two-time World Player of the Year Beauden Barrett to the bench.
Chiefs midfielder Quinn Tupaea has been named to make his debut at second-five, while flanker Ethan Blackadder, halfback Finlay Christie and prop George Bower are all poised to earn their first caps off the bench.
Damian McKenzie will start at fullback, with the Crusaders duo of George Bridge and Will Jordan as his outsides.
Chiefs captain Brad Weber will combine with Mo'unga in the halves, while Blues centre Rieko Ioane pairs with Tupaea in the midfield. Jordie Barrett will provide cover off the bench.
In the loose forwards, Dalton Papalii will fill the boots of injured captain Sam Cane at openside flanker, alongside Blues teammate Akira Ioane and Chiefs No. 8 Luke Jacobson.
Scott Barrett and captain Sam Whitelock form the second row, with Patrick Tuipulotu coming off the bench.
Up front, Dane Coles will start his 75th test, with Karl Tu'inukuafe and Angus Ta'avao on either shoulder. Asafo Aumua backs up as hooker from the bench, with props Tyrel Lomax and Bower.
The first-five selection has been the key talking point heading into this weekend's test, after Beauden Barrett confessed he was no longer interested in playing fullback, where he's operated in a dual playmaker role alongside Mo'unga since 2019.
Head coach Ian Foster believes Mo'unga - fresh from Super Rugby - is more test-ready than Barrett, who's coming off a season in Japan.
Barrett hasn't played a game of rugby since late May, when his Suntory Sungoliath side lost the Japan Top League final.
"[Mo'unga] has been playing in New Zealand this year," says Foster. "He's been playing at that intensity, so I think that gives him the nod for this game.
"Beauden, we've followed a lot in Japan and been pleased with what we saw, but there's still a lift when he comes back.
"I guess this just gives him another week of training with us, before we make the next assessment."
Tupaea's selection caps a remarkable couple of weeks for the Chiefs sparkplug, who left the Māori All Blacks squad to help galvanise Foster's midfield, which has been decimated by injury.
With Anton Lienert-Brown, Jack Goodhue, and Braydon Ennor all out of contention, Crusaders' David Havili seemed the most likely candidate to wear the No.12 this weekend, but a niggly calf issue has seen the All Blacks err on the side of caution with the Mako marauder, opening the door for Tupaea to make his test debut as part of the run-on side.
"[Tupaea] has always been on the radar," says Foster. "Clearly, there are a couple from last year who aren't here this year that's given him an opportunity.
"We've been delighted with him. He's come in and trained well.
"David's had a calf [injury] for the last three weeks. If you asked him, he'd be jumping out of his skin and ready to go.
"He's been out of the camp for four years and I really want him, when it is his time, to be jumping out of his skin in total belief in his body."
Papalii's presence has been impossible to ignore for the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman champion Blues, with Foster labelling him "one of the form loose forwards in the country", making him an easy choice to replace Cane, whose torn pectoral has sidelined him until late 2021.
Meanwhile, Jacobson's inclusion is the next chapter in the Chiefs powerhouse's injury comeback, after his 2019 Rugby World Cup dream was shattered by concussion.
"We all know he's been a tale of adversity the last couple of years, but gee, he's come back and played well this year," says Foster.
"I love his story, I love the fact that he's just put his hand up and demanded selection."
All Blacks: 1-Karl Tu'inukuafe, 2-Dane Coles, 3-Angus Ta'avao, 4-Scott Barrett, 5-Sam Whitelock (capt), 6-Akira Ioane, 7-Dalton Papalii, 8-Luke Jacobson, 9-Brad Weber, 10-Richie Mo'unga, 11-George Bridge, 12-Quinn Tupaea, 13-Rieko Ioane, 14-Will Jordan, 15-Damian McKenzie
Reserves: 16-Asafo Aumua, 17-George Bower, 18-Tyrel Lomax, 19-Patrick Ttuipulotu, 20-Ethan Blackadder, 21-Finlay Christie, 22-Beauden Barrett, 23-Jordie Barrett
Join us at 7pm Saturday for live updates of the All Blacks v Tonga test
