All Blacks ready for Italy challenge in Wellington
Five changes as Lomax reaches 50-Test milestone
Five starting changes have been made by the All Blacks for their second outing in the Nations Championship when playing Italy at Hnry Stadium in Wellington on Saturday.
Tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax, who will play his 50th Test, will start along with lock Tupou Vaa’i, flanker Wallace Sititi, centre Billy Proctor and wing Leroy Carter. On the bench, the debutants are Anton Segner in the loose forwards and Josh Moorby at wing/fullback, while centre Anton Lienert-Brown, props George Bower and Pasilio Tosi, and lock Josh Lord are also included.
Italian threat appreciated by All Blacks
All Blacks Head Coach Dave Rennie said:
This is a strong side to reflect the respect we have for this Italian team. They have shown through the Six Nations competition that they are capable of knocking over any team, so we have prepared for a tough challenge.
Rennie added Italy may have underestimated Japan in their opening game, and that the conditions were very hot.
“Maybe they had an eye towards this game, so we won’t make the same mistake. We’re well aware of their ability. They come with a lot of line speed as well. They’ve got a very good scrum. We want a lot more line speed [than last week] and we want to give them slower ball, so we can set and get off a line and create more opportunities for turnover pill. While I love the mindset, we need to be a little more clinical. We had opportunities and we might have gone too wide, too early, and if we’d gone through the middle a couple of times, especially with the high line speed, I think we could have profited more.”
Watch: All Blacks Team Naming Press Conference with Head Coach Dave Rennie
By the numbers: All Blacks vs Italy
Achieving the second-best tackle percentage of all Nations Championship teams, with 84.7 percent last week against Japan in their opening game, Italy is expected to offer more resistance defensively than in the 17 losses they have suffered against the All Blacks since the sides first met in an official Test in the opening game of the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, at Eden Park.
However, the first contact with Italian Rugby came when the All Blacks played an Italian President’s XV, winning 17-9 in 1977 en route to France. Two years later, they beat Italy in an unofficial Test 18-12 at the end of their 1979 tour to England and Scotland.
Italy’s best effort against New Zealand was in their second official Test at the 1991 Rugby World Cup, when they held the All Blacks to 21-31. The two countries last met in Turin in 2024, when 10 of the All Blacks’ 23 for Wellington played. The All Blacks won 29-11.
In terms of experience, the sides are close. The All Blacks will field 599 starting caps with 207 caps on the bench, while Italy have 590 starting caps and 200 on their bench.
Watch: All Blacks v Italy, 1991 Rugby World Cup
Wallace Sititi embracing fast-paced All Blacks game plan
Having been happy to get through his stint off the bench against France last week after recovering from a horrific head knock in Super Rugby Pacific, flanker Wallace Sititi said he is looking forward to building on that start.
With a new selection panel, he worked hard on getting fitter for the style of game they wanted to play.
“You would have seen last week that we like to play with a bit of speed and optimism and with that you have to be at a certain fitness and skill level as we try and get used to this speed and tempo.
There is a lot of healthy competition and it helps us. We’re a tight group and we push each other and, hopefully, bring the best out of each other.”
All Blacks scrum set to play key role against Italy
Scrum coach Jason Ryan said the lack of scrums against France probably contributed to the speed at which the All Blacks were able to play, but he is expecting more scrums, especially in outdoor conditions, and possibly wet conditions in Wellington.
Ryan said:
“Italy are phenomenal, especially their scrum. It’s still a physical contest that we play so, it’s the balance of when you have got to step up physically, whether or not it’s on your line defending a maul, mauling yourself, or in a scrum, that’s all part of it.”
Italy determined to respond after Japan defeat
Italy hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi, 51 Tests, who plays for Toulon in the Top 14, marked his return from a long injury layoff against Japan but was disappointed by the defeat.
“When you lose matches like the one in Tokyo, you immediately want to get back on the field to prove who you are.
The All Blacks will be incredibly tough on their home turf. But, it’s also the best kind of match. Playing in New Zealand – in an environment that epitomises world rugby – is a unique experience.
It is a first for all our team to play in New Zealand and it’s the right match to bounce back after a defeat. Against Japan, the high number of turnovers didn’t help us and was probably the main reason for the loss. Without quality possession, we couldn’t string multiple phases together. We need to move forward clearly understanding the mistakes we made. We are much better than that.
We need to realise that we have to take 10 steps forward in a week if we want to compete against the All Blacks.”
All Blacks team to play Italy
1.Ethan de Groot (41), 2.Codie Taylor (107), 3.Tyrel Lomax (49), 4.Sam Darry (9), 5.Tupou Vaa’i (45), 6.Wallace Sititi (20), 7.Luke Jacobson (25), 8.Ardie Savea (107-captain), 9.Cam Roigard (18), 10.Ruben Love (6), 11.Leroy Carter (6), 12.Jordie Barrett (79), 13.Billy Proctor (12), 14.Will Jordan (55), 15.Damian McKenzie (75).
Substitutes: 16.Samisoni Taukei’aho (43), 17.George Bower (25), 18.Pasilio Tosi (16), 19.Josh Lord (13), 20.Anton Segner (debut), 21.Cortez Ratima (22), 22.Anton Lienert-Brown (88), 23.Josh Moorby (debut).
Italy team to play All Blacks
Italy: 1.Danilo Fischetti (64), 2.Tommaso Di Bartolomeo (11), 3.Marco Riccioni (37), 4.Niccolò Cannone (64), 5.Andrea Zambonin (19), 7.Michele Lamaro (55-captain), 8.Lorenzo Cannone (39), 9.Stephen Varney (38), 10.Paolo Garbisi (55), 11.Louis Lynagh (14), 12.Tommaso Menoncello (40), 13.Juan Ignacio Brex (53), 14.Malik Faissal (1), 15.Tommaso Allan (90).
Substitutes: 16.Gianmarco Lucchesi (34), 17.Mirco Spagnolo (25), 18.Muhamed Hasa (9), 19.Giulio Marini (debut), 20.Federico Ruzza (72), 21.Riccard Favretto (14), 22.Alessandro Garbisi (23), 23.Leonardo Marin (23).
Referee: Luc Ramos (France)
