Young winger Rio Dyer will make his Wales debut against the All Blacks on Saturday, with Wayne Pivac putting his faith in the back-three man for the autumn curtain-raiser at the Principality Stadium.
The uncapped Dragons winger will make his first Test appearance in Cardiff this weekend when he lines up in a back-three alongside the in-form Louis Rees-Zammit and returning Leigh Halfpenny, who will make his first Test appearance since last July when he suffered a serious knee injury.
Gareth Anscombe is deemed fit to start at fly-half after nursing a rib injury, while Ken Owens and Justin Tipuric also return after long-term absences. The latter will captain Wales this autumn, moving to the blindside to accommodate Leicester Tigers openside Tommy Reffell.
Owens' first appearance at hooker in a Welsh jersey since March 2021 sees him form a front-row trio alongside Gareth Thomas and Tomas Francis.
Both the midfield and second-row carry a sense of continuity from the summer, with both partnerships — George North and Nick Tompkins in the centre and Will Rowlands and Adam Beard at lock — selected together once again.
On the bench, Ryan Elias provides cover for Scarlets team-mate Owens, while Nicky Smith and Dillon Lewis are the replacement props. Former captain Alun Wyn Jones retains his place, while in-form Exeter Chiefs back-row Christ Tshiunza will get a chance to win a third cap off the bench. Providing half-back cover are Kieran Hardy and Rhys Priestland, while Owen Watkin completes the replacement contingent.
“It’s great having Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric and Leigh Halfpenny back," said Pivac. "They bring a lot of experience and they are big game players. Playing New Zealand doesn’t get much bigger so we’re really looking forward to having them back in the side.
“New Zealand is going to play with speed, we know that. The roof is closed so we’re looking forward to a fast, open game and I think Justin brings that extra bit of speed to the number six jersey. So the combination [of Tipuric, Reffell and Faletau] we think will work well.
“Rio has fitted in really well and really quickly. He’s thriving in this environment. He’s a young man that’s bringing some form with him into camp. He scored some great tries and he’s full of confidence. That means a lot to a young guy playing his first Test match in front of a big crowd. There’s no better way to start your career so we wish him well.
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“It doesn’t get much bigger than Wales New Zealand. We can’t wait for it, the players are looking forward to it and we just want the fans to get in there and be loud and really get behind the boys and be that 16th player that we know they are.”
New Zealand have named their strongest-possible side, largely reverting to the side which beat Australia in the final Rugby Championship match at Auckland’s Eden Park in September. Read the full All Blacks team news here.
Wales: 15. Leigh Halfpenny, 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 13. George North, 12. Nick Tompkins, 11. Rio Dyer, 10. Gareth Anscombe, 9. Tomos Williams, 1. Gareth Thomas, 2. Ken Owens, 3. Tomas Francis, 4. Will Rowlands, 5. Adam Beard, 6. Justin Tipuric, 7. Tommy Reffell, 8. Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: 16. Ryan Elias, 17. Nicky Smith, 18. Dillon Lewis, 19. Alun Wyn Jones, 20. Christ Tshiunza, 21. Kieran Hardy, 22. Rhys Priestland, 23. Owen Watkin.
New Zealand: 15. Beauden Barrett, 14. Sevu Reece, 13. Rieko Ioane, 12. Jordie Barrett, 11. Caleb Clarke, 10. Richie Mo’unga, 9. Aaron Smith, 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Samuel Whitelock (capt), 5. Scott Barrett, 6. Shannon Frizell, 7. Dalton Papali’i, 8. Ardie Savea.
Replacements: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18. Fletcher Newell, 19. Tupou Vaa’i, 20. Akira Ioane, 21. Brad Weber, 22. David Havili, 23. Anton Lienert-Brown.
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