McKenzie has named an unchanged line-up after the 12-12 stalemate in Sydney.
Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has named an unchanged line-up for Saturday’s Rugby Championship test against New Zealand in Auckland.
Impressed with the attacking play shown at ANZ Stadium, the Wallabies coach named the unchanged team after the 12-all draw.
Kurtley Beale will again be given the chance at number 10 despite struggling in the slippery conditions last time around, and with no other injuries forcing personnel changes, McKenzie said he did not feel the need to make any changes.
“We were impressed with the pressure we were able to apply in the opening Test and, despite some errors, were pleased with the intent of the group to continue attacking despite the poor weather conditions,” McKenzie said in a release.
“I imagine both teams are excited by the prospect of a dry evening in Auckland on Saturday night, which will have an influence on the way the game is played.
“For us, we know we need to be more clinical in certain areas, but overall we feel the same group of guys deserve the opportunity to have another crack.
“Selection is never easy, although we’ve made a lot of tough decisions in this space over the past 12 months with the ultimate goal of winning games. You’re always looking to improve and I’m confident the sum of those hard choices has put us in a better position today.
“While we didn’t quite get there on Saturday night, I do know that we’ve made good progress since our first Test against New Zealand a year ago.
“That gives us some confidence heading into what will be an extremely tough challenge in Auckland on Saturday night.”
WALLABIES SQUAD
15. Israel Folau, 14. Pat McCabe, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12. Matt Toomua, 11. Rob Horne, 10. Kurtley Beale, 9. Nic White, 8. Wycliff Palu, 7. Michael Hooper (captain), 6. Scott Fardy, 5. Rob Simmons, 4. Sam Carter, 3. Sekope Kepu, 2. Nathan Charles, 1. James Slipper
Replacements: 16. James Hanson, 17. Pek Cowan, 18. Ben Alexander, 19. Will Skelton, 20. Scott Higginbotham, 21. Nick Phipps, 22. Bernard Foley, 23. Tevita Kuridrani.
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