All Blacks head coach has made a raft of changes to his side for their Rugby World Cup third-place play-off against Wales in Japan on Friday.
Following their 19-7 semi-final defeat to England on Saturday Hansen has freshened things up while also allowing some stars a chance to sign off on a high as they prepare to hang up their international boots.
Captain Kieran Read, centres Sonny Bill Williams and Ryan Crotty, as well as utility-back Ben Smith are all set to call time on their glittering international careers with the conclusion of the tournament and have all been named in the starting XV.
To run through the team Joe Moody continues alongside Nepo Laulala in the front-row, while the pair are joined by Dane Coles who replaces Cody Taylor as the starting hooker, Brodie Retallick retains his place in the second-row and is joined by Scott Barrett who moves from flanker to the engine-room.
Shannon Frizell comes in as the blindside-flanker, with Sam Cane on the openside and Read completes the pack from No 8.
Aaron Smith and Richie Mo’unga are once again named as the half-back pairing, but have Williams and Crotty outside them in the midfield this week.
Rieko Ioane replaces George Bridge on the left-wing, with Ben Smith taking Sevu Reece’s spot on the right, while Beauden Barrett continues at full-back.
The likes of Ardie Savea and TJ Perenara have been completely left out of the 23-man squad, but there are returns to the bench for the likes of Liam Coltman, Atu Moli, Matt Todd and Brad Weber.
Speaking ahead of the game Hansen admitted he struggled to pick his side and confirmed that his team are fully focused on winning the game despite what the media have said during the week.
“This was a tough team to select because, as always, everyone wanted to play. But with a short turnaround and the nature of the tournament, we feel that this is the right team for this occasion. There’s been a lot of external talk around this being the game that no one wants to play. However, from our point of view, we can’t wait to play it. Everyone in the squad – players and management – are motivated by the opportunity to show that our last performance wasn’t at the high standard that we know we can play at. This is a test match against an opposition that will also be keen to make a statement. Therefore, we will need to turn up with real attitude, intent and work ethic, and then execute our skill sets to the highest level possible,” he said.
New Zealand will want to end their campaign on a high having failed in their quest to win three Webb Ellis Cups on the bounce. However, Wales will be no push-overs as they look to give Warren Gatland a perfect send-off with victory over the mighty All Blacks.
Check Out the Full 23-Man Squad Below.
Starting XV:
1. Joe Moody (44)
2. Dane Coles (68)
3. Nepo Laulala (24)
4. Brodie Retallick (80)
5. Scott Barrett (35)
6. Shannon Frizell (8)
7. Sam Cane (67)
8. Kieran Read – captain (126)
9. Aaron Smith (91)
10. Richie Mo’unga (16)
11. Rieko Ioane (28)
12. Sonny Bill Williams (56)
13. Ryan Crotty (47)
14. Ben Smith (83)
15. Beauden Barrett (82)
Replacements:
16. Liam Coltman (7)
17. Atu Moli (7)
18. Angus Ta’avao (13)
19. Patrick Tuipulotu (29)
20. Matt Todd (24)
21. Brad Weber (4)
22. Anton Lienert-Brown (41)
23. Jordie Barrett (16)
