Sam Cane and Ardie Savea both make the match-day squad for the test against Ireland. Photo: Lynne Cameron/ActionPress
All Blacks v Ireland
Kick-off: 9.10am Saturday 9 November
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Live updates on RNZ Sport
Analysis - In DMac we trust? Scott Robertson certainly thinks so and - going on the last shift Damian McKenzie put in for the All Blacks - it's hard not to agree with him.
Now the Chiefs first-five needs to do it for 80 minutes in one of the highest pressure tests the team will play this year.
"When he's on, he's world-class and he showed some great touches and just kept believing in himself," said Robertson this morning in Dublin, simply saying "you just trust him" when asked what happens if McKenzie strays more into his erratic tendencies.
That's the main takeaway from the team naming this morning, as McKenzie and Asafo Aumua's elevations to the starting side were more or less confirmed when Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor were ruled out.
Damian McKenzie is starting at first-five. Photo: Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz
It's also good news for Stephen Perofeta, who comes back into the team after going into the first game of the season as the starting fullback. He should provide the literal safe pair of hands, because he's done it before, but the same can't be said of George Bell. If the young Crusaders hooker has to close this test out it'll easily be the biggest stage he's ever been on.
Another early question to Robertson was about Tamaiti Williams, whose selection is proving that whatever Ethan de Groot did to get dropped has manifested itself into an uphill battle to get back where the Highlanders prop was.
Robertson explained that Williams' inclusion was form-based, which is interesting because the All Black scrum was arguably dominated in the first half last weekend against England.
"He's a 50-60 minute player. He got a couple of tough calls, we believe, last week against him and he's fit and ready to go and he'll continue," Robertson said about Williams.
The All Blacks probably won't be able to count on the same sort of brain fades that cost the English in their 24-22 loss.
Ireland have named their side and one of the most obvious yardsticks as to the quality of the side is who Andy Farrell has been able to leave out - especially a few names that played a big part in the 1-1 series draw with the Springboks earlier this year.
Jamison Gibson-Park returns at halfback in place of the impressive Craig Casey, outside him Jack Crowley takes the place of Ciaran Frawley. Robbie Henshaw makes way for Garry Ringrose, pairing up with Bundee Aki in the midfield.
Just to complete the Kiwi connection, James Lowe is reunited with his wing partner from last season, Mack Hansen. The man Hansen replaced, Calvin Nash, is seen as the unluckiest is miss the team.
Ireland's Bundee Aki is tackled by Rieko Ioane and Aaron Smith in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final. Photo: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Farrell has had one injury-enforced change of his own and it's a fairly significant one. Tighthead prop Tadgh Furlong is out, replaced by Finlay Bealham, so there is a direct channel now for Williams and the rest of the starting pack to redeem themselves at scrum time.
However, Ireland has the motivation of redemption overall due to the absolute heartbreak they endured the last time these sides met.
There's been no war of words between the teams - or coaching staff - this week.
Robertson was extremely complimentary not only towards the Irish team but its entire pathway system, and it's likely Rieko Ioane has been asked nicely to keep his social media output to a minimum.
This will be a massive result for the All Blacks if they can pull off a win here, though.
Last weekend's win showed they'd fixed the issue of scoring at the back end of games, so that corner has seemingly been turned.
Proving the doubters wrong and scoring a second consecutive win over a highly fancied Irish team will be proof that they're well on their way in a new direction.
Ireland: 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Rónan Kelleher, 3. Finlay Bealham, 4. Joe McCarthy, 5. James Ryan, 6. Tadhg Beirne, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris (c), 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 10. Jack Crowley, 11. James Lowe, 12. Bundee Aki, 13. Garry Ringrose, 14. Mack Hansen, 15. Hugo Keenan
Bench: 16. Rob Herring, 17. Cian Healy, 18. Tom O'Toole, 19. Iain Henderson, 20. Peter O'Mahony, 21. Conor Murray, 22. Ciaran Frawley, 23. Jamie Osborne
All Blacks: 1. Tamaiti Williams, 2. Asafo Aumua, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Scott Barrett (c), 5. Tupou Vaa'i, 6. Wallace Sititi, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Ardie Savea 9. Cortez Ratima, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Mark Tele'a, 15. Will Jordan
Bench: 16. George Bell, 17. Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Patrick Tuipulotu, 20. Samipeni Finau, 21. Cam Roigard, 22. Anton Lienert-Brown, 23. Stephen Perofeta.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.