Wallace Sititi Earns Starting Spot for All Blacks Clash with Scotland
The All Blacks have named a powerful lineup to face Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday morning NZT, with loose forward Wallace Sititi poised to make a significant impact after earning a starting position. Sititi, who has featured off the bench in the past two Tests, will wear the No.6 jersey alongside captain Ardie Savea at openside flanker and No.8 Peter Lakai, who is making his third consecutive Test start.
The selection of the 23-year-old Sititi represents a key change for the All Blacks, replacing Simon Parker following his performance in the recent victory over Ireland in Chicago. Du’Plessis Kirifi will provide cover for the loose forward position from the reserves bench.
Alongside Sititi’s promotion, the team sees Josh Lord stepping in to replace the injured Scott Barrett, a move widely anticipated by analysts. In the backs, Quinn Tupaea and Leicester Fainga’anuku have been selected in the midfield, filling the void left by Jordie Barrett’s absence. These two selections – Sititi’s start and the center cover on the bench – are the only real surprises in the squad announcement.
The decision to start Fainga’anuku, who entered the field early in the match against the United States at Soldier Field, has led to Billy Proctor being named as midfield cover. This choice deviates from selecting the more experienced and versatile options of Anton Lienert-Brown and Rieko Ioane. Proctor’s last Test start was in the No.13 jersey against Australia at Eden Park in late September. Ioane recently appeared as a replacement in the All Blacks’ win over the Wallabies in Perth, while Lienert-Brown has not played since a defeat to Argentina in Cordoba in August.
Lienert-Brown, a veteran of 86 Tests, received a yellow card while serving as a reserve in that match against Argentina. His only other appearance this year was a start against France in Hamilton in July. A photograph shows Billy Proctor leading the haka before a Test against South Africa in Wellington in September (Source: Photosport).
Head coach Scott Robertson has maintained the same starting front row, with Cam Roigard and Beauden Barrett – the latter named vice-captain in the absence of his brother Jordie – forming the inside back combination. Caleb Clarke, Leroy Carter, and Will Jordan are set to start as the outside backs.
Despite a strong finish to their match against Ireland – scoring three of their four tries during that period – Robertson acknowledged some concern over a sluggish start. The All Blacks trailed 10-7 at halftime and 13-7 after the break before mounting their impressive comeback, fueled by tries from replacement prop Tamaiti Williams, Sititi, and Roigard.
“Striking a balance between starting and finishing well will likely be the reason behind the resting of Parker, who in his first year of international rugby, in favour of the explosive Sititi,” a senior team official stated. The challenging Test against England at Twickenham next weekend was also a factor in the selectors’ decisions.
Halfback Cortez Ratima and first-five/fullback Damian McKenzie, predictably named on the bench, are expected to inject pace into the All Blacks’ attack against a Scotland side currently ranked No.8 in the world. Hooker Codie Taylor has also been appointed as a vice-captain.
Scotland will commemorate 100 years of international rugby at Murrayfield with this Test, while the All Blacks aim to extend their 120-year winning streak against the Scots. Robertson emphasized the significance of the occasion. “We are honoured to be part of the 100th anniversary of rugby at Murrayfield – it will be a special occasion,” he said. “We have a proud history with Scotland and recent games between us have been close. We have named the best team to reflect the challenge we know Scotland will present.”
All Blacks match-day 23 (Test caps in brackets)
- Ethan de Groot (38), 2. Codie Taylor (104) (vice-captain), 3. Fletcher Newell (32), 4. Josh Lord (9), 5. Fabian Holland (10), 6. Wallace Sititi (16), 7. Ardie Savea (104) (captain), 8. Peter Lakai (6), 9. Cam Roigard (15), 10. Beauden Barrett (142) (vice-captain), 11. Caleb Clarke (31), 12. Quinn Tupaea (22), 13. Leicester Fainga’anuku (9), 14. Leroy Carter (4), 15. Will Jordan (51).
Reserves: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (40), 17. Tamaiti Williams (24), 18. Pasilio Tosi (13), 19. Sam Darry (6), 20. Du’Plessis Kirifi (6), 21. Cortez Ratima (19), 22. Billy Proctor (9), 23. Damian McKenzie (71).
Unavailable for selection: Scott Barrett (leg cut) Jordie Barrett (high ankle sprain).
