Brad Weber says he's ready to stake his claim on the All Blacks No.9 jersey.
The Chiefs halfback has been named to start ahead of TJ Perenara in Sunday's third Bledisloe Cup test against Australia in Perth.
The door opened up with first-choice halfback Aaron Smith staying in New Zealand to await the birth of his second child, an opportunity Weber relishes the chance to capitalise on.
"Opportunities in the nine jersey with the All Blacks are few and far between with Aaron around, but I've been really keen to play in a game as big as this against the Australians. This will be one of the biggest ones I've had to date.
"I'm pretty keen to stake my claim pretty strongly this weekend."
Sunday will be Weber's second start at halfback in his 11th test, in contrast to Perenara who has 71 to his name, but All Blacks head coach Ian Foster says the selection is simply a vote of confidence in Weber.
"We really wanted to build the nine combination, especially with Aaron not here, and to complement TJ's leadership and experience, so this is a great opportunity to put our faith in Brad to start the test," says Foster.
Foster says the team is excited to play in front of a sell-out crowd in Perth.
"Perth has a great rugby culture and we know that there are a lot of Kiwis living here who will be at the game, so can't wait to hear their support.
"COVID has again forced so many changes this year, and we especially think of cities like Dunedin and Wellington that have lost test matches they had hoped and planned for, so it's great to be able to celebrate having this test match here in Perth."
RNZ
Join us at 6pm Sunday for live updates of the third All Blacks v Australia Bledisloe Cup test
