FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Rugby World Cup 2023 - Pool A - New Zealand v Namibia - Stadium Municipal de Toulouse, Toulouse, France - September 15, 2023 New Zealand's Cam Roigard in action with Namibia's Damian Stevens REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
TOKYO (Reuters) -All Blacks scrumhalf Cam Roigard will play his first test of the year while Peter Lakai and Ruben Love should make their international debuts on Saturday after they were included in the matchday squad to take on Japan in Yokohama.
Roigard shone in the pool stage at the World Cup last year but has been sidelined since suffering a serious knee injury early in the Super Rugby season in March.
Now fit, the 23-year-old will pair up with flyhalf Damian McKenzie to run the backline against the Brave Blossoms in a starting team featuring only four players that ran out to face Australia in the final match of the Rugby Championship.
Patrick Tuipulotu will captain the side for the first time in place of fellow lock Scott Barrett in the second row of what coach Scott Robertson described as "a big, big pack".
"It's a really good mix of experienced players in key positions with some great young talent," Robertson told a news conference in Tokyo.
"Patrick's got plenty of 'mana', he's a man of few words but the respect that he's got in group (means) the boys will follow him.
"Cam's good to go, he's excited, you have to pull him back, it's a great sign."
Stephen Perofeta, who has also been sidelined by injury, gets his chance to start at fullback in the rare absence of all three Barrett brothers.
Outside back Love earned his All Blacks call-up with an outstanding season in Super Rugby but a thigh injury scuppered his chances of making his debut at the back end of the Rugby Championship.
His Wellington Hurricanes team mate Lakai, who was also named on the bench, was a late addition to the squad after injuries to loose forwards Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson and Dalton Papali'i ruled them out of the tour.
Robertson said he was particularly keen to see an improvement from his team in taking their try-scoring opportunities on Saturday.
"We're creating (them) but the theme for the year is our ability to finish them," he said.
"(We need to be) a little bit more clinical and show our skillset, show Japanese rugby the All Blacks way, because I know the Japanese will be playing a fast style. It will be entertaining."
The match offers Robertson a first chance to go head-to-head at test level with former Australia and England coach Eddie Jones, and the New Zealander said he was braced for a few surprises.
"You've always got to be careful around Eddie Jones," he said with a laugh.
After taking on Japan, the All Blacks head to Europe to play England, Ireland, France and Italy in successive weeks in November.
Robertson said he had decided to send some of his squad over to England later this week to get a head start on preparations for the Twickenham test.
Team: 15-Stephen Perofeta, 14-Sevu Reece, 13-Billy Proctor, 12-Anton Lienert-Brown, 11-Mark Tele'a, 10-Damian McKenzie, 9-Cam Roigard, 8-Wallace Sititi, 7-Sam Cane, 6-Samipeni Finau, 5-Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 4-Sam Darry, 3-Pasilio Tosi, 2-Asafo Aumua, 1-Tamaiti Williams
Replacements: 16-George Bell, 17-Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18-Fletcher Newell, 19-Josh Lord, 20-Peter Lakai, 21-TJ Perenara, 22-David Havili, 23-Ruben Love
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
