All Blacks vs USA Rugby online tv game

*!streaming-live]* All Blacks vs USA Live Free: Rugby TV 23 October 2021

Rugby: All Blacks v USA - teams, kick-off time, live streaming and how to watch All you need to know ahead of the All Blacks' clash against the USA at FedEx Field in Washington DC, at 8am on Sunday (NZT) Sam Cane will play his first test of the season when the All Blacks face the United States on Saturday, although it won't be as captain.

Lock Sam Whitelock will lead New Zealand in its first match in America for seven years while Cane will be on the bench as he makes his return from a serious injury.

The team named Thursday by head coach Ian Foster is composed mostly of players who missed or had little playing time in the recent Rugby Championship in Australia. Whitelock chose to sit out New Zealand's Championship matches in Australia to be with his wife, who recently gave birth.

He will lead the All Blacks in all of the tests on their northern tour against the United States, Wales, Italy, Ireland and France as Cane focuses on his return. Cane became New Zealand's. regular captain when Kieran Read retired after the 2019 World Cup but missed the Rugby Championship and previous tests against Australia, Tonga and Fiji because of a torn pectoral muscle.

He will be joined on the bench by lock Josh Lord who has been named to make his debut as a replacement. Lord was called up after Scott Barrett and Patrick Tuipulotu returned to New Zealand at the end of the Rugby Championship.

Hooker Dane Coles, who missed the Championship because of a calf muscle injury, is also named on the bench.

Richie Mo'unga missed most of the Australian leg of the Rugby Championship while awaiting the birth of his second child, and will start at first five-eighth on Saturday. He joined the All Blacks in Australia in time to be on the bench for the final match against the Springboks.

Mo'unga will combine with Scotland-born halfback Finlay Christie, who will start a test for the first time. Braydon Ennor will also start for the first time at centre, as will Ethan de Groot at loosehead prop.

"Finlay has made the most of his opportunities and he just keeps growing his game and getting better and better and we're delighted at how he's going," Foster said. "Braydon has had a year disrupted by injury but he's back.

All Blacks vs USA: Richie Mo'unga, Dalton Papalii handed key chances to impress Ian Foster didn’t want to train the spotlight on anyone ahead of what should be a romp against the USA at FedEx Field in Washington DC on Sunday (NZT). But, make no mistake, for a few All Blacks there are major ramifications at play in this political epicentre.

Many are shrugging off this opening test of the All Blacks’ northern tour as an irrelevance, against a USA side, not only a long way from the peak of its powers, but down a few key offshore-based troops. It shapes as the biggest mismatch since Donald Trump took on the US electoral system.

But when the All Blacks run out, there is always resonance. Always meaning. Even for a test where the competitive factor is likely to be wholly absent.

Foster’s lineup to face the Eagles is a good example of that. Among the comeback kids and dirt-trackers racking up some much-needed game time sit a smattering of players on somewhat of a more far-reaching mission.

READ MORE: * How USA Rugby is using All Blacks test to kick-start ambitious future plans

* All Blacks: Sam Whitelock's return as captain a significant tick of trust * All Blacks captain Sam Whitelock back in starting team, Josh Lord on bench * All Blacks vs USA: Six to watch as Ian Foster's men launch their tour in DC Yes, it’s a special test for prop Ethan de Groot, halfback Finlay Christie and centre Braydon Ennor who will all chalk up their first starts in the black jersey. And a momentous one for 20-year-old tour callup Josh Lord who will make his debut off the bench.

But dig a little deeper and you find more to sink your teeth into. The presence of Richie Mo’unga at No 10 and Dalton Papalii at No7, for starters. Both were first-choice men earlier in the year who have been out of the loop of late – Mo’unga for the birth of his second child and Papalii battling a hamstring injury.

Mo’unga last started a test in Bledisloe II in Auckland on August 14, but fast-tracked his return with a bench appearance in the Rugby Championship finale against the Boks off a fortnight in MIQ. He has been the All Blacks’ first-choice No 10 since 2019, though his recent absence has allowed Beauden Barrett to provide a timely reminder of his enduring qualities. That decision shapes as an extremely tight one for the significant tests ahead against Wales, Ireland and France.

Papalii is in a similar boat. Lauded by Foster as the “form” New Zealand loose forward of Super Rugby, he backed that up with a string of impressive performances through July, against the Wallabies and then Argentina.

Then came a niggling hamstring injury, and he hasn’t been sighted since.

Others slide into this category. Will Jordan and George Bridge were starting wings against South Africa in Townsville, before paying the price for a shaky night under the high ball. They return under less stressful circumstances to rebuild their reputations.

Then there are the latecomers. Sam Whitelock, with more than double the caps of his seven fellow forward starters combined, is an, er, lock to start against Wales, having been restored as tour captain. But Dane Coles and Sam Cane will both have ambitions of making the top lineup by the business end of this tour and will see bench appearances this week as first steps towards that goal.

Others who feature Sunday (8.30am kickoff NZT) harbour major ambitions. Young lock Tupou Vaa’i might be just one injury away from a starting spot in the serious internationals, while loose forward Luke Jacobson has featured in eight of the 10 tests this year, and remains in the selection picture. Ennor, too, is not without hope at centre after a wretched run with injury.

“There is a clear opportunity for everyone … I’ll leave you guys to figure out who you think is more likely,” said Foster when asked about those pressing for starts against Wales. “We’re

coming off a loss that hurt, and we’re now going into a game as clear favourites. But what’s important is the quality of our game.

“In many ways with new combinations and time off, there are plenty of excuses for rust … but by the end of the game we need to make sure we’re nailing our performance, and by doing that we’ll have individuals who put their hands up.”

Foster was equally unequivocal about Mo’unga.

“I just expect him to be Richie. He hasn’t lost any fitness, he’s trained well, and he’s looking forward to getting back on the park. Like a number of guys who haven’t been with us, coming back in always takes a little bit of time.”

Bridge’s challenge after his high-ball shocker against the Boks elicited a more emphatic Response.

“George is a quality rugby player. He’s gone through a full analysis and he’s got some things he’s normally very good at that didn’t go so well for him, so he’s worked hard in that space,” said Foster. “The key is he’s got a clear head and trusts himself – one game doesn’t make someone a bad rugby player.”

The coach sends out a group not only charged with doing the business against an “invigorated” Eagles team, but also to address some shortcomings against the South Africans.

“How we control the breakdown is one and making sure we bring an intensity and accuracy to that space, because we got counter-rucked against South Africa. But the balance of the game we’ve tried to keep simple because of the number of guys coming back from lengthy periods off.

We’re trying not to over-complicate the complexities of our game with this one.”

All Blacks: Damian McKenzie, Will Jordan, Braydon Ennor, Quinn Tupaea, George Bridge, Richie Mo’unga, Finlay Christie; Hoskins Sotutu, Dalton Papalii, Luke Jacobson, Tupou Vaa’i, Sam Whitelock (capt), Angus Ta’avao, Asafo Aumua, Ethan de Groot: Reserves: Dane Coles, George Bower, Tyrel Lomax, Josh Lord, Sam Cane, TJ Perenara, Beauden Barrett, Anton Lienert-Brown.