All Blacks coach Ian Foster has named a 35-strong squad to travel to Australia ahead of the Rugby Championship and Northern tours to USA and Europe.
The All Blacks squad assembled in Auckland today to fly to Australia ahead of their second-round Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies in Perth next weekend, which doubles as the third Bledisloe Cup test between the sides.
The All Blacks will then complete the rest of the Rugby Championship, which will be based in Queensland, before heading up north for tests in America and Europe.
As previously reported by the Herald, stand-in captain Sam Whitelock, Aaron Smith and Richie Mo'unga will not travel with the squad to Perth due to the imminent arrival of babies.
That will leave the All Blacks needing a new captain for the third Bledisloe, with Whitelock having assumed the role from injured openside flanker Sam Cane and Smith leading the team against Fiji in Dunedin in July.