Rugby-All Blacks make 13 changes to starting side for Fiji test

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - All Blacks coach Ian Foster has retained only two of the players from the side that scored more than a hundred points against Tonga last Saturday for this weekend's test against Fiji in Dunedin.

Only centre Rieko Ioane and left winger George Bridge will back up from the team that started last week's 102-0 trouncing of the Tongans in Auckland as Foster demonstrated the considerable depth of talent at his disposal.

Aaron Smith will captain the side from scrumhalf in his 98th test with last week's skipper Sam Whitelock dropping to the bench as Brodie Retallick and Patrick Tuipulotu get their chance to show what they can do in the second-row engine room.

Beauden Barrett gets only his second start at flyhalf since the last World Cup in place of Richie Mo'unga, who has been rested along with halfback Brad Weber, who scored a hat-trick in the win over the Tongans.

Five tries against Tonga earns Will Jordan a place on the bench as backline cover along with Damian McKenzie, who started at fullback last week but swaps places with Jordie Barrett.

David Havili gets his chance to prove his worth at inside centre with his Canterbury Crusaders team mate Sevu Reece returning on the right wing to face the country of his birth.

In the forwards, George Bower makes his first start at loosehead prop with 22-year-old Ethan de Groot set to make his test debut off the bench on the tighthead side of the front row.

"The Fijian team will bring a very different challenge from Tonga," Foster said. "They are a more established side made up of primarily overseas-based players, who are amongst some of the better players in Europe.

"It should be a fast, physical match and our team are excited by what the weekend will bring."New Zealand team: 15-Jordie Barrett, 14-Sevu Reece, 13-Rieko Ioane, 12-David Havili, 11-George Bridge, 10-Beauden Barrett, 9-Aaron Smith (captain), 8-Hoskins Sotutu , 7-Ethan Blackadder, 6-Shannon Frizell, 5-Brodie Retallick, 4-Patrick Tuipulotu, 3-Nepo Laulala, 2-Codie Taylor, 1-George Bower

Reserves: 16-Dane Coles, 17-Ethan de Groot, 18-Tyrel Lomax, 19-Sam Whitelock, 20-Luke Jacobson, 21-Finlay Christie, 22-Damian McKenzie, 23-Will Jordan.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Shri Navaratnam)