'The hardest side we’ve had to pick': Dave Rennie's All Blacks puzzle

All Blacks head coach Dave Rennnie has revealed that his team to play Australia on Saturday was his hardest to pick since he got the job, adding it took three meetings with fellow selectors Sir Graham Henry and Neil Barnes to settle on the 23 players for Eden Park.It would be going too far to suggest that the attention to getting the right personnel in the right jerseys was all for nothing in the wake of Richie Mo'unga's calf injury at training on Tuesday, but it almost certainly would have resulted in a rueful smile from Rennie.He has overseen more than his fair share of injuries during his first year in charge - including season-ending issues for regular No.10 Ruben Love, skipper Ardie Savea, wing Caleb Clarke, flanker Luke Jacobson and prop Ollie Norris.Rennie will hope the latest setbacks for Mo'unga and Fehi Fineanganofo (concussion and hamstring) are less serious. Lock Patrick Tuipulotu, Anton Lienert-Brown and Billy Proctor are also in the casualty ward.Outside back Emoni Narawa has joined the squad as Mo'unga's replacement.Mo'unga, set for the No.10 jersey in the absence of Love, had trained "superbly" on Monday before suffering the setback - not the same calf he injured on his return from Japan this year - which forced the selectors to shift Damian McKenzie from fullback to first-five and give Beauden Barrett his first start in a test since November last year.Barrett will start at fullback rather than his preferred position of first-five but Rennie said the positions were all but interchangeable."Damian has trained there [at No.10] a lot for us. Beauden has trained primarily at 15. When we were in Africa, Beauden started against the Lions and the Bulls at 15.Damian McKenzie enjoys some downtime during training in Auckland on Tuesday.Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz"Both of those players are interchangeable. They both spend a lot of time in the back-field. The way we play, having a 15 who is a real playmaker suits us. We could have played them the other way around. They will both end up in playmaker roles and they will both end up in the back-field."Rennie added: "It's probably the hardest side we've had to pick. Between Ted, myself and Barnesy, we've generally been pretty aligned. We had to have three selection meetings to nail this."Rennie hinted that the toughest selections were in the pack, saying Tupou Vaa'i starting at blindside flanker had flow-on effects to the make-up of the bench and elsewhere.There is no room for lock Fabian Holland/or tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax. Of the latter, Rennie said: "We just want more out of him. He's got a clear message about what we need to see. He's worked really hard this week and I'm sure we'll get a response next time he gets an opportunity."Former skipper Scott Barrett, starting alongside Josh Lord in the second row, is unlikely to go 80 minutes given his lack of recent game time. After two matches for Taranaki in the NPC, this will be Barrett's third game in almost 12 months.He may be replaced by Vaa'i in the second half, with Shannon Frizell, whose last test was the 2023 World Cup final, a strong candidate to slot into blindside flanker from the bench. Anton Segner, another loose forward on the bench, will likely replace starting No.8 Wallace Sititi or openside flanker Peter Lakai.The All Blacks' set piece should be improved significantly by Barrett's return and he, Lord and Vaa'i will present the Wallabies with a formidable lineout threat."When we trained on Thursday morning you could see Scott's influence and his leadership… we've altered things a little bit there too which we think will help," Rennie said of the set piece.All tests are significant for the All Blacks but this one, at this time, against a nation he once led as head coach, is a very important one for Rennie.All Blacks loose forward Peter Lakai goes on the charge against the Springboks in Baltimore.Dylan Davies / www.photosport.nzAustralia have not won at Eden Park since 1986 and the All Blacks have not lost there since 1994. Rennie's men are also on a three-test losing streak; the All Blacks have not lost four in a row since 1998.Rennie is also coming up against Australia for the first time. Asked about the way his time at the Wallabies ended (he was sacked before the 2023 World Cup), he replied: "It's not about me. I've got no regrets. I got to work with some really good people, people I have a lot of time for. It's part of the game we're involved in."All sides who come here want to be the first to break the record. They'll be highly motivated. The Irish were the same when we spoke to them post-game [in July]. We're well aware of what's coming."You have to acknowledge it [record]. No one wants to be part of the first team to lose at Eden Park or lose the Bledisloe. You've got to reflect on that but you can't get stuck on it. If we don't discuss it some guys may still be mulling over it on game day. We've discussed it and will use it as fuel."Centre Quinn Tupaea, back into the starting line-up after missing the fourth test against the Boks due to a knee injury, said of the 53-test unbeaten streak at their fortress: "It's obviously a lot of pressure on the group but it's also a privilege."We love to play at Eden Park - we're well aware of the record we have there. It's the spiritual home of rugby in New Zealand. These are the tests you want to be a part of. We'll do our best to keep that streak alive this weekend."The Wallabies are also on a streak - they are unbeaten in their last six tests."We know how they'll be feeling," Tupaea said. "They've got their tails up. They're red hot at the moment so they'll be very confident in their game."Of the return of McKenzie, his old mate from the Chiefs, to the No.10 jersey, Tupaea said: "He'll be fine. He's played 80-odd tests... and 150-odd Super Rugby games. He's a seasoned veteran. He's carried the weight of the Chiefs for a long time. He's played I think 35 consecutive [tests] for the All Blacks - he's no stranger to pressure."All Blacks team to play Australia(Caps in brackets)1. Ethan de Groot (45), 2. Codie Taylor (112) - captain, 3. Fletcher Newell (41), 4. Scott Barrett (89), 5. Josh Lord (17), 6. Tupou Vaa'i (51), 7. Peter Lakai (14), 8. Wallace Sititi (23), 9. Cam Roigard (24), 10. Damian McKenzie (81), 11. Leroy Carter (10), 12. Jordie Barrett (85), 13. Quinn Tupaea (29), 14. Will Jordan (61), 15. Beauden Barrett (145).Reserves: 16. Asafo Aumua (26), 17. George Bower (29), 18. Pasilio Tosi (17), 19. Shannon Frizell (33), 20. Anton Segner (2), 21. Kyle Preston (5), 22. Rieko Ioane (89), 23. Josh Moorby (5).