Following the announcement of Dave Rennie’s All Blacks team to face Wales in the Nations Championship, here are our five takeaways.

The top line

If the All Blacks were going to rotate this month, it was always going to be in this match, with New Zealand tackling a lowly Wales team that has shown some signs of improvement but is a far cry from the quality of the first Warren Gatland era, and even then, the Welsh weren’t able to claim a maiden victory since 1953.

With this in mind, Rennie and his selectors have rung the changes, 10 in total, with eight alterations to the run-on team and two among the replacements. Beauden Barrett takes on the captaincy duties in Cardiff, leading the team for the first time in a Test match.

Loosehead prop George Bower, hooker Asafo Aumua, flanker Anton Segner and halfback Cortez Ratima are all starters in Cardiff after coming off the bench last weekend versus Scotland, while lock Josh Lord, fly-half Richie Mo’unga, midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown and Fehi Fineanganofo come into the team. Fineanganofo and Segner both earn their first starts in the black jersey.

Rennie has also opted for a 6-2 bench split of sorts, with hybrid star Leicester Fainga’anuku named alongside hooker George Bell, props Xavier Numia and Pasilio Tosi, lock Jamie Hannah, loose forward Ethan Blackadder, halfback Kyle Preston and outside back Rieko Ioane.

The wholesale changes have led to the rekindling of the Mo’unga-Barrett axis, who last combined at the 2023 World Cup, guiding the team to the final, while the Chiefs’ partnership of Lienert-Brown and Quinn Tupaea link up in the midfield. Josh Moorby is the other starting winger along with Fineanganofo.

Peter Lakai and Wallace Sititi are named in the back-row once again, with Segner completing the trio while Scott Barrett is retained in the second-row along with Lord. Bower, and Aumua and Fletcher Newell are joined by tighthead prop Fletcher Newell.

Dave Rennie finally gambles on a Bomb Squad

After teasing the prospect of a 6-2 bench split all year, Rennie has finally pulled the trigger and names a forward-heavy bench for the first time – a gamble that Scott Robertson never attempted while his predecessor Ian Foster trialled it just once – the record 35-7 defeat to the Springboks at Twickenham before the World Cup.

What has made the gamble far less risky for Rennie is that whilst Fainga’anuku has been listed as a loose forward, he is a centre/winger by trade. He performed superbly as an openside flanker during his time at RC Toulon and continued to do so for the Crusaders later in the Super Rugby Pacific season.

Frankly, Wales is a bit of a soft trial for the All Blacks’ Bomb Squad to debut, considering that Steve Tandy is still attempting to influence change and the World Rugby rankings rather fairly rate them as the tenth-ranked team in the game – eight positions lower than New Zealand.

This writer has repeatedly criticised Rennie for not taking the plunge on the tactic, considering the quality the All Blacks could add in the latter stages of Tests with the backline reserves selected with a view to provide back-up and cover instead of impact. South Africa are the benchmark in the use of their replacements and popularised the 6-2 split, but of late there has been a real shift in the mentality of selecting the last eight names on the teamsheet, and it looks like New Zealand is finally catching up.

It’s clear that a lot of thought went into the selections too, with Hannah not only able to provide impact and cover at lock but in the back row too. That utility means that Rennie could let his locks go the distance, if he wishes to do so, and replace his entire loose trio. While Wales aren’t a true force in the international game anymore, the breakdown is an area of their game where they are still strong, and Rennie’s selections suggest that he is well aware of that.

Ioane’s versatility is also key to the bench make-up being possible, as he could slip in at outside centre or wing with both Tupaea and Lienert-Brown able to play both midfield roles. Barrett’s inclusion at full-back means that there is no need for fly-half cover while Moorby can fill his void in the event of injury to the stand-in captain or Mo’unga.

All in all, this bench has been picked as an experiment, a safe bet, but one the All Blacks’ coaching team can take a lot away from judging on the performance in the Welsh capital.

Chances to impress and the unlucky few

“There’s a lot of trust in the people we’ve selected in this group. So, a couple of people will get opportunities, and they’ve deserved them,” senior coach Neil Barnes said earlier this week.

“If they perform, it raises the bar on that position, and then the other person to get back in’s got to raise his game – it’s just a flow-on effect really.”

Ultimately, the coaches are using this clash against Wales as a litmus test of just how deep the depth chart actually is. They got a good idea during Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour, and because of the sheer number of injuries this year, Cardiff is different. Rennie has a short runway to the World Cup, and it will be important for him to gauge how a team featuring wholesale changes can perform.

It’s a huge opportunity for several players to increase their chances of making the World Cup squad. Segner has become a regular squad member under Rennie and can improve his stocks with a good shift against the likes of Taine Basham, Jac Morgan and James Botham.

Ratima and Preston have both played second fiddle to Cam Roigard this year, but neither has been able to truly edge ahead of the other and establish themselves as the number two.

Mo’unga has a point to prove too after two rather unconvincing performances during the RGR tour, with Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett impressing in his absence. Lienert-Brown’s inclusion in the All Blacks’ squads has been largely criticised, and while a stand-out performance versus Wales won’t silence those critics, he could reinforce his standing in the squad.

Replacement Bell gets a chance to move up the pecking order in a hotly contested position, while Numia and Tosi will be licking their lips to get stuck into the Welsh scrum. Rennie has stated that Hannah has a dark side about him and he will be eager to see that in the latter stages while Blackadder is back from injury.

If the Fainga’anuku experiment fires, he could quickly become a regular feature in matchday 23s for the All Blacks while Fineanganofo has a rare opportunity to impress with Will Jordan sidelined.

Rennie has certainly provided opportunities this weekend and is essentially asking these 23 players to go out and make selection more difficult for the coaching team going forward, but he can only issue so many.

That unfortunate fact means that Josh Jacomb and Timoci Tavatavanawai are among the unlucky few to miss out entirely. The former is still vying to earn his Test debut after strong showings against the South African URC teams and falls victim to Mo’unga’s return to fitness, while the latter has been overlooked entirely.

Saula Ma’u will have also fancied his chances of cracking the bench, particularly with Wales hardly possessing the best scrummagers even before the setbacks they sustained in the position, while Chay Fihaki is a victim of the decision to go with a 6-2 bench split.

Beauden Barrett’s stocks continue to rise

Beauden Barrett’s legacy adds two more chapters this weekend as he surpasses Richie McCaw’s Test cap tally of 148 to become the second most-capped All Black of all-time, second only to Sam Whitelock.

He will also captain his country in a Test match for the first time, having led the side against the Barbarians previously.

“Beauden brings such valuable experience and is massively respected by us all. Captaining the All Blacks in a Test is an honour that I know he doesn’t take lightly, so it’ll be a proud day for him and his whānau,” Rennie said.

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It’s two well-deserved and earned accolades for the oldest Barrett brother who has given his all for the team throughout his glittering career, and it comes in a year when he was written off as a has-been.

He was overlooked for the opening three Nations Championship matches this year in New Zealand and only handed a Test cap in the finale of the RGR series, but injury created opportunity in the Bledisloe Cup and boy did he take those chances. It’s been something short of a career-rival, a renaissance, and a statement that his career is far from done yet.

Performance, not result will matter

A defeat is simply unacceptable for the men in black, considering the gulf in class, form and current standing in the international game. A bonus-point victory will be the bare minimum for the All Blacks as they aim to stay in the running for top spot on the southern hemisphere table. While there will be an expectation to cut the points difference on the Springboks too, Rennie and his coaches will be far more concerned about the quality of the performance than the margin of victory.

They have put their faith in this team to get the job done and will want to be repaid with a disciplined, accurate and ruthless performance. Those who are able to do just that will be further rewarded down the line.

As much as New Zealand will want to stay in the running for the main event on Finals Weekend at the Allianz Stadium, the World Cup is a much bigger prize and is the reason why Rennie was hired to replace Robertson in the first place.