All Blacks name McKenzie at fly-half for Bledisloe opener

The All Blacks have named Damian McKenzie at fly-half and Scott Barrett in the starting side for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup opener against Australia at Eden Park, with Richie Mo’unga unavailable because of injury. Beauden Barrett will start at fullback, while Scott Barrett returns after a back issue and surgery. The match is scheduled for October 10 in Auckland. It will be Dave Rennie’s first time coaching the All Blacks against Australia, three years after he left the Wallabies job. New Zealand’s reported Eden Park unbeaten run and hold on the Bledisloe Cup are at stake, but the supplied reports give conflicting measures of the home record, so its length is unclear. The match has not yet been played. McKenzie moves from fullback to fly-half, opening the fullback spot for Beauden Barrett. The changes follow Mo’unga’s injury, which rules him out of the opener, and come amid other absences in the New Zealand squad. Scott Barrett, a former captain, returns to the starting lineup after surgery in May and two provincial appearances. Codie Taylor will captain the side in the absence of injured captain Ardie Savea.