Ardie Savea will captain the All Blacks in Saturday's Bledisloe Cup opener against the Wallabies after Scott Barrett was surprisingly ruled out with a shoulder injury.

Barrett led New Zealand in their record loss to South Africa in Wellington and it hadn't been reported that the lock was in doubt for the clash with Australia at Eden Park.

His absence means Tupou Vaa'i and Fabian Holland will form a relatively inexperienced second row while the experienced Patrick Tuipulotu is on the bench after recovering from injury.

Watch the 2025 Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship with every match streaming live and on demand on the home of rugby, Stan Sport

Many Kiwi supporters feel Savea should be leading the team anyway and former All Blacks manager Darren Shand said Barrett appeared burdened

See Full Page