Veteran All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick has been named for his 100th test against England at Twickenham on Sunday (NZ time).
Retallick, 31, returns from suspension to take his place in the second row alongside fellow centurion Sam Whitelock, collectively claiming a world record of 64 tests as a locking tandem, edging past Springboks forwards Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield.
"The All Blacks congratulate Brodie and his family on what is an extremely proud moment for them," said head coach Ian Foster. "He has had a massive contribution to the legacy of this team over the last decade, during which he has inspired many."
Retallick becomes the 12th All Blacks centurion, joining Whitelock (142), halfback Aaron Smith (113) and fullback Beauden Barrett (111) among those named for the England test.
Other notable selections for the encounter include:
- Code Taylor retained as starting hooker, ahead of blockbuster Samisoni Taukie'aho
- Second-rower Scott Barrett moves to the blindside flank, where he lined up against England in the 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat
- Jordie Barrett stays in the midfield, with brother Beauden at fullback
- Called in to replace Will Jordan for the tour, Mark Telea keeps his sport on the wing, after a two-try debut against Scotland last week
Unwanted for most of this year's international campaign, veteran halfback TJ Perenara will back up Smith from the bench, while loose forwards Shannon Frizell and Hoskins Sotutu bring forward cover.
"We feel the squad has been building nicely throughout this tour," Foster added. "Playing England is something we don’t get to do often so we are excited for the challenge.
"This is an opportunity to continue our growth as a team at one of the great venues in world rugby - Twickenham."
All Blacks: 1-Ethan de Groot, 2-Codie Taylor, 3-Tyrel Lomax, 4-Brodie Retallick, 5-Samuel Whitelock, 6-Scott Barrett, 7-Dalton Papali’i, 8-Ardie Savea, 9-Aaron Smith, 10-Richie Mo’unga,
11-Caleb Clarke, 12-Jordie Barrett, 13-Rieko Ioane, 14-Mark Telea, 15-Beauden Barrett
Reserves: 16-Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17-George Bower, 18-Nepo Laulala, 19-Shannon Frizell,
20-Hoskins Sotutu, 21-TJ Perenara, 22-David Havili, 23-Anton Lienert-Brown
Join us at 6:30am Sunday for live updates of the All Blacks v England test
