Bundee Aki replaces injured Garry Ringrose for Ireland's series decider against New Zealand
It’s All On The Line: All four series deciders. It’s Only Live Once; All Blacks vs Ireland (SS Action 7.30am), Australia vs England (SS Action 10.15am), Springboks vs Wales (SS Action 3.30pm), Argentina vs Scotland (SS Action 7.30pm); all deciding Tests exclusively live on Sky
Thursday 14 July 2022 08:59, UK
Bundee Aki comes in for the injured Garry Ringrose as Ireland make one change to their line-up for their series decider against New Zealand.
Aki will join up with Robbie Henshaw in midfield, while captain Johnny Sexton is set to win his 108th cap which equals Paul O'Connell's tally for Ireland.
Sexton will again be partnered by scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, with Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe forming a potent back three.
With Aki set to start, Keith Earls comes onto Ireland's bench and takes the 23 jersey. Earls was captain of the Irish side that beat the Maori All Blacks 30-24 on Tuesday.
Andy Farrell has put his faith in the pack that started the second Test and claimed a historic first-ever win over the All Blacks in New Zealand to level the series at 1-1.
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Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong will start in the front row, Tadhg Beirne and James Ryan will be in the engine room and Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris form the back row.
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"Everyone realises the size of the task at hand, but there's a lot of excitement at being able to deal with that," Ireland's head coach Farrell said.
"The best part of where we're at is that we know we can do better.
"I think what we've done pretty well over the last period of time is have a clear understanding of what our game is all about and what we need to get better.
"All be it, we had a decent result in the last Test, hopefully our best is saved until last."
Ireland: 15. Hugo Keenan, 14. Mack Hansen, 13. Robbie Henshaw, 12. Bundee Aki, 11. James Lowe, 10. Johnny Sexton (captain), 9. Jamison Gibson Park; 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Tadhg Furlong, 4. Tadhg Beirne, 5. James Ryan, 6. Peter O'Mahony, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris.
Replacements: 16. Rob Herring, 17. Cian Healy, 18. Finlay Bealham, 19. Kieran Treadwell, 20. Jack Conan, 21. Conor Murray, 22. Joey Carbery, 23. Keith Earls.
Whitelock returns for All Blacks in Wellington
Sam Whitelock returns to start in New Zealand's second row alongside Brodie Retallick.
Whitelock missed out on the second Test due to concussion and his arrival sees Scott Barrett move to blindside flanker.
Tighthead prop Nepo Laulala also returns to boost New Zealand's pack. The 40-Test prop will be making first appearance of the season.
David Havili has returned after Covid to take his place in the midfield alongside Rieko Ioane, who will earn his 50th cap on Saturday.
Will Jordan will start on the wing, meaning that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck could make his Test debut off the bench.
"It's tough having a loss but the tough weeks are often the most exciting," New Zealand's head coach Ian Foster said. "A series decider against a high-quality side is a great occasion for our growth as a team."
The All Blacks have faced Ireland in Wellington three times previously in 1976, 1992 and 2008.
New Zealand: 15. Jordie Barrett, 14. Will Jordan, 13. Rieko Ioane, 12. David Havili, 11. Sevu Reece, 10. Beauden Barrett, 9. Aaron Smith, 1. George Bower, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Nepo Laulala, 4. Brodie Retallick, 5. Samuel Whitelock, 6. Scott Barrett, 7. Sam Cane (captain), 8. Ardie Savea.
Replacements: 16. Dane Coles, 17. Aidan Ross, 18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 19. Akira Ioane, 20. Dalton Papalii, 21. Folau Fakatava, 22. Richie Mo'unga, 23. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
How to follow Summer Tour deciders on Sky Sports
Every deciding Test is live on Sky Sports Action across the day on Saturday, as the Northern Hemisphere teams all aim to replicate the success they achieved last weekend.
- New Zealand vs Ireland in Wellington - coverage from 7.30am (8:05am kick-off)
- Australia vs England in Sydney - coverage from 10:15am (10:55am kick-off)
- South Africa vs Wales in Cape Town - coverage from 3.30pm (4.05pm kick-off)
- Argentina vs Scotland in Santiago del Estero - coverage from 7.30pm (8.10pm kick-off)
Watch all of the action from the Summer Tours on Saturday, with coverage live on Sky Sports Action from 7.30am.
