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Damian McKenzie was handed an unexpected start at five-eighth ahead of Richie Mo’unga in the New Zealand team facing Argentina on Sunday (AEST) in the opening round of the Rugby Championship.

McKenzie played in Japan last year in a move which might have signalled the end of his All Blacks career but he has had an exceptional season in which he led the Chiefs to the Super Rugby Pacific final.

The All Blacks selectors know what Mo’unga can do, so have taken the chance to try out McKenzie while naming the out-of-form Beauden Barrett at fullback.

At the same time, they appear to be keeping under wraps their best XV which will start against the world champion Springboks in Auckland next weekend.

Chiefs winger Emoni Narawa will make his Test debut and lock Josh Lord will play his third Test and first since 2021 in a second row partnership with Scott Barrett.

Veteran locks Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick have been omitted from the 23 in another sign of planning for the South Africa match.

Tupou Vaa’i is on the bench to cover lock.

Aaron Smith will play his 115th test at halfback and Jordie Barrett once again will start at inside centre.

Dane Coles is at hooker for his 85th Test while Samisoni Taukei’aho also has been left out of the 23.

“We have taken the need to build combinations in a vital year and balanced it with the need to manage the squad after Super Rugby,” coach Ian Foster said.

“This is obviously a massive year and we are really confident in the way that we’ve been building. We have had a short buildup but an effective one.”

The match will be the first played between the teams in Mendoza and all 42,500 seats at Estadio Malvinas Argentina were sold two months before the match.

Argentina is starting tighthead prop Lucio Sordoni in his first Test since 2020 against New Zealand in Newcastle.

That was his third cap. He made his debut at 20 against Ireland in 2018.

After the All Blacks game, he was sidelined for a total of 14 months by injuries, one of which cost him a move to Mont de Marsan in France a year ago.

Instead, Glasgow picked him up as a temporary signing then gave him a two year contract.

Argentina made five changes and one positional from the side which lost its last Test to Scotland 52-29 at Murrayfield in November.

On that occasion, flanker Marcos Kremer was sent off while they led with an hour to go.

The Pumas were reduced to 12 at one point and still showed great resistance.

Kremer is now suspended for the entire Rugby Championship after picking up his third red card of the season in the French Top 14 quarter-finals.

Rodrigo Bruni was the other forward brought in by Pumas coach Michael Cheika, along with backs Matias Moroni and Mateo Carreras.

Emiliano Boffelli, the only Pumas starter in all 12 of their Tests last year, was switched from the wing to fullback.

PUMAS (15-1): Emiliano Boffelli, Bautista Delguy, Matias Moroni, Lucio Cinti, Mateo Carreras, Santiago Carreras, Gonzalo Bertranou, Rodrigo Bruni, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Pablo Matera, Tomas Lavanini, Matias Alemanno, Lucio Sordoni, Julian Montoya (c), Thomas Gallo

Reserves: Agustin Creevy, Mayco Vivas, Eduardo Bello, Pedro Rubiolo, Santiago Grondona, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Nicolas Sanchez, Matias Orlando

ALL BLACKS (15-1): Beauden Barrett, Emoni Narawa, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Damian McKenzie, Aaron Smith, Ardie Savea, Sam Cane (c), Shannon Frizell, Josh Lord, Scott Barrett, Tyrel Lomax, Dane Coles, Ethan de Groot

Reserves: Codie Taylor, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Nepo Laulala, Tupou Vaa’i, Dalton Papali’i, Finlay Christie, Richie Mo’unga, Braydon Ennor