All Blacks coach Ian Foster has released five players to get some game time under their belt this weekend in NPC preseason action.
Anton Lienert-Brown, Luke Jacobson, Samipeni Finau (Waikato), Josh Lord (Taranaki) and Cam Roigard (Counties Manukau) have all been allowed to return their provinces for matches this weekend after having limited or no playing time in the All Blacks' two opening games of the Rugby Championship against Los Pumas and the Springboks.
The quintet will feature in the four-team Chiefs Country Centurion Cup competition which also involves Bay of Plenty.
The tournament consists of 50-minute games with Waikato and Counties Manukau facing off first before Bay of Plenty take on Taranaki. The two losing teams then meet before the day's action ends with the two first-up winners.
Fans catching the action at Albert Park in Te Awamutu will only get limited exposure to the five All Blacks though with management issuing minute limits.
After Saturday, they will then return to the national squad in Auckland on Sunday to start preparing for the All Blacks' Rugby Championship finale and Bledisloe Cup Test against the Wallabies in Melbourne next Saturday.
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