And while Mo’unga has already featured on this tour, starting at No 10 in a midweek clash against the Lions, Sunday’s clash against the Springboks will mark his comeback in the test arena.
Mo’unga’s selection comes at the expense of Ruben Love, who had established himself as the first-choice first-five under Rennie. Love does not feature in the matchday 23, with Beauden Barrett named as cover on the bench.
Elsewhere, Taylor returns to the side as captain, having been dropped for last weekend’s defeat in Soweto. Taylor will lead in Ardie Savea’s absence, after the regular captain left the field in the first half with a dislocated shoulder.
Taylor’s return forces Asafo Aumua back to the bench, while Samisoni Taukei’aho drops out of the 23 altogether.
With five personnel changes, the forward pack for Baltimore is vastly different from the one that took the field in Soweto.
Ethan de Groot returns from concussion in place of George Bower, while Fletcher Newell starts over Tyrel Lomax in the front row.
In the second row, Patrick Tuipulotu is promoted to start alongside Sam Darry, with Fabian Holland battling illness, and Tupou Vaa’i shifting back to the loose forwards. Josh Lord also returns on the bench, after failing a concussion test in the series opener.
Injury to Luke Jacobson as well as Savea forces a reshuffle in the loose trio, as Peter Lakai moves from the blindside to No 8, while Ethan Blackadder starts his first test since August 2024 on the openside. Despite standing out in Savea’s absence in the third test, Wallace Sititi remains on the bench.
In the backs, Anton Lienert-Brown has held off competition from Rieko Ioane to replace the injured Quinn Tupaea at centre, while Josh Moorby returns to the left wing at Leroy Carter’s expense.
“We always planned for there to be a number of changes for this match,” Rennie said. “Every player here has worked incredibly hard over the last seven weeks to prepare the team for the seven games we’ve played so far, and all those selected for this test fully deserve it.
“We have everything to play for on Saturday. It is our chance to draw the series and end the tour with a performance to be proud of.
“We have had incredible support travelling with us throughout the tour and amazing support back at home. We want to put in a performance that shows how much we appreciate that. We also want to honour the players and management who have returned home early but contributed so much.”
The fourth test kicks off at 9am on Sunday (NZT).
All Blacks: 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor (c), 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 5. Sam Darry, 6. Tupou Vaa’i, 7. Ethan Blackadder, 8. Peter Lakai, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Richie Mo’unga, 11. Josh Moorby, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 14. Will Jordan, 15. Damian McKenzie
Reserves: 16. Asafo Aumua, 17. Xavier Numia, 18. Tyrel Lomax, 19. Josh Lord, 20. Wallace Sititi, 21. Kyle Preston, 22. Rieko Ioane, 23. Beauden Barrett
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
