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Damian McKenzie gets first crack at ten for New Zealand, with the Chiefs playmaker coming off a fine Super Rugby Pacific season. There’s a debut for his club colleague Emoni Narawa on the wing, while Josh Lord gets a chance to burgeon his reputation in the second row alongside Scott Barrett. The other two Barrett brothers fill the 12 and 15 shirts, with the right assembly of his playmaking options a key question for Ian Foster to answer ahead of the World Cup.

New Zealand XV: Ethan de Groot, Dane Coles, Tyrel Lomax; Scott Barrett, Josh Lord; Shannon Frizell, Sam Cane (capt.), Ardie Savea; Aaron Smith, Damian McKenzie; Caleb Clarke, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Emoni Narawa; Beauden Barrett.

Replacements: Codie Taylor, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Nepo Laulala, Tupou Vaa’i, Dalton Papali’i; Finlay Christie, Richie Mo’unga, Braydon Ennor.

Damian McKenzie’s hopes of returning to the All Blacks fold appeared in jeopardy when he flew off to Japan at the end of 2021 for a lucrative season with Tokyo Sungoliath.

On Saturday, however, the playmaker will wear the number 10 jersey against Argentina after forcing the selectors’ hand with a brilliant Super Rugby season for the Waikato Chiefs.

It will be McKenzie’s third start at flyhalf in his 41st test, with the position switching between Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett in recent seasons.

With electric pace and a raking boot, the 28-year-old has thrilled crowds with his attacking instincts for years but was sometimes marked down for being too flamboyant when sound game management was required.

That criticism has fallen away after steering the Chiefs with aplomb in their run to the Super Rugby Pacific final.

Often deployed at fullback to great effect in the past, McKenzie locked down the Chiefs’ 10 shirt and never looked back.

In a sign of All Blacks coach Ian Foster’s faith, he will take kicking duties off the tee from centre Jordie Barrett against the Pumas in Mendoza as they launch their Rugby Championship defence in the lead-up to the World Cup.

“My game’s probably matured a little bit more than what it has in the past,” McKenzie told New Zealand media.

“I used to run myself into trouble a bit, and put the team under pressure.

“I’ve learnt that kicking is a big part of being a playmaker, and having that experience this year with the Chiefs has been great.”

Reuters

These have been a difficult couple of months for Lucio Cinti, the Argentina back’s future plunged into uncertainty after London Irish’s demise. Thankfully, Cinti has quickly picked up a new contract, and should have plenty of fun at Saracens next season.

His selection in the centres today is intriguing - he has a little bit of experience in midfield, but much of his senior career post starring on the sevens circuit has come on the wing, where his height and speed are mighty valuable. His installation in the 12 shirt perhaps speaks to Michael Cheika wanting a bit more threat instead of the rock solid pairing of Matias Orlando and Matias Moroni, and Argentina are hardly short of wing alternatives - even with the late loss of Bautista Delguy, Argentina can still afford to go without Santiago Cordero, Juan Cruz Mallia and Juan Imhoff.

Argentina may be without Marcos Kremer, but it’s still a fearsome five at the back of their pack. The hallmark of both of their big wins last year was how that unit was able to impose itself physically, Pablo Matera and Juan Martin Gonzalez particularly impressive as the All Blacks were knocked offf in Christchurch.

They will spy a chance here to do something similar to a New Zealand pack lacking Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock’s gnarl and snarl. Sam Cane has re-found form this year, which is timely given the respect he commands as a leader in this All Blacks side, but it still feels like he needs a big performance or two over the next few weeks to cement himself in the side for the World Cup given how Dalton Papali’i came on last year.

“When you think about collisions, loose forwards are involved in a lot of those on both sides of the ball,” Cane said on Friday.

“Not just the loosies, they’ve got a big, physical forward pack. They pride themselves on set-piece dominance and they’re big bodies, they know how to carry hard and tackle hard.

“It’s a challenge we’re looking forward to as a forward pack. It’s no secret that rugby games are often won up front up so it’s gonna be good.”

A bit of news from earlier today, with an All Blacks XV kicking off a short tour with a win over a Japan XV. It was scratchy early on from New Zealand’s second string but solid after the interval to pull away and record a 38-6 victory - they face the Brave Blossoms proper in Kumamoto next weekend.

The race for a starting All Blacks back three spot at the World Cup looks like it could be incredibly tight, particularly if one of Beauden Barrett or Damian McKenzie ends up occupying the 15 shirt, thus pencilling Will Jordan in as a likely wing starter. The coming force is Mark Telea, the slippery-as-an-eel Blues man, but Emoni Narawa also had a standout Super Rugby Pacific season and gets his first opportunity today. He should enjoy having McKenzie out there with him, the pair combining superbly throughout this year for the Chiefs, but will be tested defensively by Mateo Carreras, quick-as-a-hiccup and in flying form at Kingston Park as a member of Newcastle Falcons’ growing contingent of Argentines.

Traditionally, Argentina’s strength was always scrummaging, the Pumas sides of yesteryear building around set-piece power. Not so this group - if anything, you could term prop depth as a bit of a weakness in Michael Cheika’s squad.

It’s good, then, to see Lucio Sordoni back to start. It’s been a tough old trot for the tighthead since his last test in 2020, a 14-month lay-off stalling the career of an emerging young front-rower.

But Sordoni is back in form and enjoying the delight of Glasgow, initially joining Franco Smith’s side on a short-term deal but impressing to earn a longer stay in the Scottish city. If he can solidify things at scrum-time, he’ll have a real shot at a World Cup spot at the very least.

It looks a lovely day for some rugby in Mendoza, bright blue skies to greet the players. It’s got an old school feel, the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, a running track around the outside and a cramped corridor out to the playing surface. The walk from the dressing rooms includes crossing a sports hall.

An all-Australian officiating team today.

Referee: Angus Gardner ARs: Nic Berry & Jordan Way TMO: Brett Cronan

A typically passionate rendition of the Argentine national anthem, tears in the eyes of the ever emotional Tomas Lavanini, and plenty of energy right down the line as his teammates psych themselves up for battle. The crowd are up for this, too, but fall silent for the Haka, led by Aaron Smith, New Zealand’s scrum-half rising tall as his teammates kneel around him.

Right, we’re ready to go.