Four changes from All Blacks; Planet Rugby

New Zealand have made four changes to their XV to face France on Saturday, with Wyatt Crockett, Brodie Retallick, Richie McCaw and Julian Savea coming in.

The quartet replace Tony Woodcock, Luke Romano, Sam Cane and Waisake Naholo.

The 988 caps of experience present in the starting XV make this the most experienced team in a RWC knockout match, and the second most in any RWC match after the All Black starting XV against Argentina earlier in this tournament.

With an average age of 29 years and 254 days, the starting XV is New Zealand's second oldest, also after the team which started the match against Argentina.

McCaw and Dan Carter are the only players in the matchday 23 who played in the 20-18 defeat by France in Cardiff at RWC 2007. Carter kicked 8 of New Zealand's points that day but went off with the scores level at 13-13.

Kieran Read and Ma'a Nonu were the only players in the matchday 23 who played in the 27-22 defeat by France in Dunedin in 2009, the last time the All Blacks were defeated by France. Nonu scored a try that day.

Captain McCaw will equal the record for most matches as captain at a Rugby World Cup (11) currently held by Will Carling, Martin Johnson (both ENG), Raphael Ibañez (FRA) and John Smit (RSA). Wales captain Sam Warburton will also equal this record in Saturday's opening quarter-final. 

Carter needs to score 18 points to join compatriot Andrew Mehrtens in fifth place on the all-time RWC points list with 163. Grant Fox is New Zealand's top RWC scorer with 170.

Nonu and Conrad Smith become the first centre partnership to start 60 test matches together. They have won their last 16 together and were last on the losing side three years ago, against England at Twickenham. 

The back-row partnership of Jerome Kaino, McCaw and Read start their sixth World Cup match together, one behind the competition record which will be set earlier in the day by Wales' back-row of Dan Lydiate, Warburton and Taulupe Faletau.

Kaino, Read and McCaw start their 31st test together, a total beaten only by England's back three of Neil Back, Richard Hill and Lawrence Dallaglio (37).

Locks Retallick and Sam Whitelock start their 27th test together, equalling New Zealand's pro era record set by Chris Jack and Ali Williams. The all-time All Black record is 45 by Robin Brooke and Ian Jones.

New Zealand: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Sonny Bill Williams.

Date: Saturday, October 17
Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 20:00 local
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), John Lacey (Ireland)
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

predictable team, one whose core has time and time again produced the goods vs what ever the world of rugby threw at them.

i got the feeling that the tonga test was a final test for the no14.
there was no doubt that b smith and j savea had the 11 and 15 locked up, so the only question was who would make up the thrid triple threat member and rightfully so skudder got the nod.

i dont like how we have no specialist lock on the bench though, i really dont like that.
we should have dumped sam cane from the 23 all together and had romano covering lock with vito covering the loosies.
vitos form especially from the bench is simply amazing, and while we know cane is class, hansen IMO has erred by having them both in the team.

barlow ahead of tj perenara is a little odd. barlows the better player of the two, but TJs form is better.
barlow is the better defensive player though IMO the best defensive half in the game, but tjs big game temperament has come along perfectly since his AB debut, and i would have thought that would have been enough to seal the deal.

barret, cane, SBW and vito will give the All Blacks the late game boost that all teams need.
i dare say these 4 players are the best in the business when it comes to that.

GO THE MIGHTY MIGHTY ALL BLACKS!!!

The team is on the skids and France need to grab their opportunity

Beeno, please provide you predictions.
Link to where you can give your predictions

 The AB's will be fine, France will put up a fight and their unpredictable but NZ will see them off.
Then the Boks vs Nz in the semis, come on you bokke!

 Boks vs. ABs in the semis would be good for this site. What could possible go wrong?