INTERNATIONAL NEWS - All Blacks inside centre Ryan Crotty has returned to the side after recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered almost three weeks ago as Steve Hansen named a strong team to face France at Stade de France on Saturday.
Crotty limped off in the All Blacks' 40-29 loss to Ireland in Chicago and subsequently missed their tests against Italy in Rome and the return game against Joe Schmidt's team last week.
Anton Lienert-Brown has shifted out to centre to accommodate Crotty's return and to cover for the suspension that Malakai Fekitoa received last week for a dangerous tackle on Ireland's Simon Zebo.
Scrumhalf Aaron Smith, who was dropped for two matches earlier this year for a tryst with a woman in a public toilet, has been relegated to the bench due to a poor run of form after returning to the starting role following the stand down.
TJ Perenara will start the game instead.
Regular fullback Ben Smith suffered a compound fracture of a finger on his left hand, while openside flanker Sam Cane suffered a high ankle sprain in the game in Dublin and were not considered for the season-ending fixture.
"When it came to selecting this side, we had to make some changes because of injuries, but we also looked to pick the best side possible for what we think will be a titanic battle against the French," All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said in a statement.
"It was a very physical match in Dublin on the weekend so we have looked to get this week's preparation spot on – both mentally and physically – as we know France will also be looking to impose themselves upon us."
