The All Blacks have been forced to make a late change to tonight’s Bledisloe Test in Brisbane with Blues lock Patrick Tuipulotu withdrawn hours before kickoff due to illness.
The All Blacks said in a statement Tuipulotu’s withdrawal has led them to name Chiefs youngster Tupou Vaa’I on the bench in his place.
“Patrick Tuipulotu is ill and has been withdrawn from today's Brisbane Test against the Wallabies,” the All Blacks said in a statement.
“He has been replaced on the bench in the 19 jersey by Tupou Vaa’i.”
The loss means the All Blacks bench has lost one of it’s most experienced heads with debutants such as Asafo Aumua, Cullen Grace and Will Jordan all earning their first Tests from the sideline.
Vaa’I now joins them with just two caps to his name after playing the first two Tests in Wellington and Auckland.
Thankfully, Tuipulotu’s 33 Tests-worth of experience lost are made up for by the starting locks with Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock combining for 157 All Blacks caps, although Whitelock owns the significant chunk of those with 119 appearances in black on his own.
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