31 January, 2026, 5:35 am Central - 24°C Clouds

All Blacks name exciting squad for Bledisloe Cup 2 with the return of Whitelock and 3 debutantes

All Blacks name exciting squad for Bledisloe Cup 2 with the return of Whitelock and 3 debutantes

By Mosese Raqio
03/08/2023
[Photo: All Blacks]

The All Blacks have named an exciting lineup for their second round of Bledisloe Cup 2023 clash against the Wallabies this weekend in Otago with the return of veteran lock Sam Whitelock into the starting 15.

The side also includes two debutantes and a potential debutante as Chiefs duo Shaun Stevenson and Samipeni Finau will be making their debuts on the wing and flanker respectively, while Crusaders winger Dallas Mcleod will be coming off the bench.

Tamaiti Williams, Samisoni Taukei’aho and Nepo Laulala will start in the front rows with Brodie Retallick and Whitelock forming the locks pair.

Finau will partner with captain Sam Cane on the flanks while Ardie Save will start at number 8.

Finlay Christie will start at halfback forming the halves combination with flyhalf Damien McKenzie.

Leicester Fainga’anuku also makes a return to the squad and will start on the left wing partnering with Stevenson while Will Jordan will start at fullback.

There is no lack of power in the bench as well with Dane Coles, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Fletcher Newell, Tupou Va’ai and Luke Jacobson covering the forwards while nippy halfback Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga and McLeod will cover for the backs.

The All Blacks will take on the Wallabies at 2.35pm Saturday.

FNRL
FEATURE NEWS
UB40 featuring Ali Campbell rocks Nadi
After 20 years, Fiji was lucky to bear witness to the magic that is UB40 featuring Ali Campbell. Thousands turned up at King Charles Park for the B...
6 hours ago
LATEST NEWS
Defamation cases between Chaudhry and Prof. Prasad to be called in April
The matter where leader of the Fiji Labour Party Mahendra Chaudhry has sued former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad ...
12 hours ago

7 ambulances donated to St. Johns boosting emergency medical services
Seven ambulances have been donated to the St John Association by the Racer Group Pty Ltd, with the aim of providing better and more efficient ...
12 hours ago

Free eye surgery brings hope to children with strabismus
The Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children's Hospital, in partnership with the CWM Hospital Eye Department, provided a one-day free corrective eye ...
13 hours ago

MOU signed between Oceania Hospital and University of Fiji
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the University of Fiji and Oceania Hospital to allow medical students from the University to get ...
14 hours ago

20 business linked to foreign worker rights breaches - Bernard
Around 20 of the 740 businesses currently employing foreign workers in Fiji have been linked to breaches of workers’ rights.This was revealed by ...
14 hours ago



Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
IN DEPTH
Ailava Samuels to represent Fiji in Miss Pacific Pageant
Miss Fiji 2025 first runner-up and Miss Nasinu, Ailava Samuels, has been officially appointed as Fiji’s representative to next month's Miss ...
9 days ago

Referendum Bill risks undermining democracy - Dialogue Fiji
The National Referendum Bill risks undermining democracy by criminalising political expression, enabling state overreach and excluding young people ...
11 days ago

Shocking move : FNU reassigned under PM
The Fiji National University is being reassigned under the Prime Minister's Office Ministerial Portfolio via the Ministry of Strategic Planning, ...
11 days ago

TOP