Wales team: Debutant named for mammoth All Blacks clash as Steve Tandy loses last week’s star to injury
Wales head coach Steve Tandy and flanker Harri Deaves.
Wales have made several changes from the side that edged past Japan as they prepare to face the All Blacks at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
It is not quite as many as the 13 alterations from New Zealand, who have rotated heavily for their final match of the year, but they have decided to switch things up.
One of those in the backline is enforced due to the ban handed out to Josh Adams as Tom Rogers takes his place in the back three alongside Louis Rees-Zammit and Blair Murray.
Joe Hawkins also comes in the XV as he replaces Ben Thomas and partners Max Llewellyn in the Welsh midfield.
In-form half-backs
Steve Tandy has kept the status quo at half-back with Tomos Williams and Dan Edwards once again forming the playmaking combination.
Up front, Aaron Wainwright and Alex Mann remain from the victory over Japan but they switch positions as the former moves from blindside flanker to number eight and the latter shifts into Wainwright’s slot.
That enables Tandy to bring in Ospreys breakdown specialist Harri Deaves, who will make his Test debut against the All Blacks at openside, with last week’s player of the match, Olly Cracknell, missing out through injury.
Dafydd Jenkins and Adam Beard continue in the engine but there are two more changes in the front-row as Keiron Assiratti and Rhys Carre start ahead of Archie Griffin and Nicky Smith respectively.
Griffin drops to the bench while Smith is out of the squad completely with Gareth Thomas the reserve loosehead prop.
They are joined among the replacements by Brodie Coghlan, Freddie Thomas and Taine Plumtree, who cover the forwards, while Kieran Hardy, Nick Tompkins and the Japan match-winner Jarrod Evans the backline reinforcements.
“We’ve brought Joe Hawkins in at 12, we think he’s trained really well,” Tandy said. “We’ve been impressed by his versatility – he can play 10 and 12 – and we feel he’s that second pair of hands to how we play.
“On the props, I think Rhys Carre has had a really good tournament. I think his training standards have been excellent since coming back into the camp, so he gets a well deserved start.
“Assiratti I think throughout the campaign has been outstanding. I think he’s grown as well, he had one of his best games in a Wales shirt against Argentina.
“Harri Deaves making his debut is an amazing story. His performances for the Ospreys on both sides of the ball have been outstanding, I love how he plays the game.
“He’s a smaller rugby player but, with the way he plays, he adds physicality, speed and aggression.”
Wales team to face All Blacks
Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Tom Rogers, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Harri Deaves, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Dafydd Jenkins, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Rhys Carre
Replacements : 16 Brodie Coghlan, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Archie Griffin, 19 Freddie Thomas, 20 Taine Plumtree, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Nick Tompkins
Date: Saturday, November 22
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 15:10 GMT (04:10 NZDT)
Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
Assistant referees: Andrea Piardi (FIR), Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
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