Sept 13 (Reuters) - World Cup-winning scrumhalf Piri Weepu
will make his first start for New Zealand this season after
coach Steve Hansen made several changes to his team to face
South Africa in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
Weepu, who many consider lucky to make the All Blacks squad
at all after he returned to Super Rugby overweight and unfit,
has been used solely as a replacement this season behind rookie
Aaron Smith but will start in Dunedin.
Smith has been preferred by Hansen due to his speed of pass
that has given the All Blacks more space and time, but he
struggled against a physical Argentina side last week in
Wellington.
Weepu came on as a second-half replacement and his
experience settled the All Blacks as they adopted a more
conservative approach in the atrocious conditions, going on to
grind out a 21-5 victory.
The scrumhalf was the only change to the backline but Hansen
made three alterations to his pack, with Sam Whitelock replacing
Brodie Retallick at lock, Liam Messam coming on to the blindside
of the scrum for Victor Vito while hooker Andrew Hore replaces
Keven Mealamu.
Retallick, Vito and Mealamu all drop to the bench for the
match at Otago Stadium.
Hansen's only other change on the bench was to bring utility
back Tamati Ellison in for Ben Smith, who had covered the
outside backs for the three earlier matches in the expanded
southern hemisphere tournament.
"At the halfway stage of the... Rugby Championship we are
very happy, from a results point of view," Hansen said in a
statement of New Zealand's perfect record to date.
"There is a second challenge we have set ourselves, to
constantly improve our game and in that regard we are not the
finished product. However, the coaching staff and team leaders
are reasonably happy with the progress we are making."
New Zealand: 15-Israel Dagg, 14-Cory Jane, 13-Conrad Smith,
12-Ma'a Nonu, 11-Julian Savea, 10-Aaron Cruden, 9-Piri Weepu,
8-Kieran Read, 7-Richie McCaw (captain), 6-Liam Messam, 5-Sam
Whitelock, 4-Luke Romano, 3-Owen Franks, 2-Andrew Hore, 1-Tony
Woodcock
Replacements: 16-Keven Mealamu, 17-Charlie Faumuina,
18-Brodie Retallick, 19-Victor Vito, 20-Aaron Smith, 21-Beauden
Barrett, 22-Tamati Ellison
(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington; Editing by John
O'Brien)