All Blacks v Lions: Who will replace Sonny Bill Williams for deciding Test in Auckland?
Wednesday 5 July 2017 14:07, UK
New Zealand face a strain on their midfield resources as they attempt to regroup after last weekend's loss to the Lions and prepare for the series-deciding third Test on Saturday, live on Sky Sports 1 from 7.30am.
Ryan Crotty has been ruled out with a hamstring injury sustained in the first Test at Eden Park, and Sonny Bill Williams has been suspended after being sent off in the second Test.
That leaves the All Blacks to choose from a group of relatively inexperienced centres as they attempt to avoid their first series loss to the Lions since 1971.
"We have got a number of options in midfield," All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said. "It goes to show, you've really got to make sure you're preparing a group of four or five at all stages just do be ready to play.
"Yes, there's been some reshuffling and that brings its challenges but our expectations are that whoever goes out there plays at a top level whether it's their first test or 50th."
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Anton Lienert-Brown is likely to continue in the New Zealand midfield, but who will join him there? We look at the three players in contention.
Malakai Fekitoa
Fekitoa is the most likely to slot into the midfield with Lienert-Brown, and if he does there will be a familiar thread to the centre's inclusion.
The Highlander was left out of the starting XV when New Zealand lost to Ireland in Chicago last year, but wore the No 13 jersey when Steve Hansen's men claimed revenge in Dublin two weeks later.
Fekitoa scored two of New Zealand's three tries that afternoon as a wounded All Blacks side bit back at the team that halted their record-breaking run.
New Zealand are now wounded again, suffering defeat last week for the first time on home soil since the Springboks managed the feat in 2009. The men in black will be eager to reinstate New Zealand's aura as an unbeatable force on the world stage, and Fekitoa has the most experience of anyone in line to take Williams' place to do just that.
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Ngani Laumape
The Hurricanes' battering ram may not have been a household name in Britain and Ireland before the tour, but he is joint top try-scorer in Super Rugby, and has been an outstanding force for the defending champions.
Laumape has certainly made an impression on the northern hemisphere since the Lions arrived in New Zealand - the 24-year-old was destructive for the Hurricanes in their 31-31 draw with the Lions ahead of the second Test, making 125 metres from 11 carries with ball in hand.
Dan Biggar was the unlucky end-point for most of those runs, with the Wales fly-half leaving the field after one particularly big collision when Laumape went over for a try.
However, the 16-stone centre was unable to replicate that performance on his New Zealand debut last Saturday - coming on in the 25th minute to plug the gap left in midfield by Williams' red card. If Laumape is given the chance to start on Saturday, what kind of performance can we expect from him?
Jack Goodhue
For the last decade New Zealand has valued a hard-hitting player at No 12, in the mould of Tana Umaga, Ma'a Nonu or Williams.
However, they have had playmakers in that position in the past - with Aaron Mauger and Luke McAlister the most recent to share kicking duties with an All Black fly-half on a long-term basis.
Goodhue shares similarities with Mauger in that he plays both fly-half and inside centre for the Crusaders, with the 22-year-old currently operating alongside the talented Richie Mo'unga in Super Rugby.
Goodhue can cover both centre berths, and started at No 13 for the Crusaders against the Lions earlier in the tour, beating three defenders and making a clean break during the game. His versatility will benefit New Zealand for years to come, but it's fair to say he's considered an outsider to start one of the All Blacks' biggest Tests of recent times.
Watch the decider between New Zealand and the Lions live on Sky Sports 1 from 7.30am on Saturday
