The All Blacks are banking on four uncapped players to step up when they face France in the third and final Test in Dunedin.
Centre Jack Goodhue and flanker Shannon Frizell will start on Saturday while five-eighth Richie Mo’unga and lock Jackson Hemopo are on the bench as coach Steve Hansen rolled the dice with the series already wrapped up.
There are six starting changes and a positional switch from the team who failed to impress in a 26-13 second Test win in Wellington.
The midfield is revamped, with Goodhue replacing outside centre Anton Lienert-Brown while Sonny Bill Williams returns at inside centre for Ryan Crotty.
Damian McKenzie heads off Mo’unga to make his first start at five-eighth after Beauden Barrett was ruled out with concussion.
Waisake Naholo is recalled on the right wing, pushing Highlanders teammate Ben Smith to fullback and Jordie Barrett to the reserves.
Smith, at 32, becomes the oldest New Zealand Test fullback since Fergie McCormick’s swan song against the 1971 British and Irish Lions.
Hansen has named his least experienced loose forward combination in more than 100 Tests after Frizell replaced injured blindside flanker Liam Squire and Ardie Savea usurped an out-of-sorts Sam Cane on the openside.
Together with No.8 Luke Whitelock, the loose trio tally just 28 caps, the least since Kieran Read, Tanerau Latimer and Jerome Kaino packed down against Italy in 2009.
With the Dave Gallaher Trophy locked away, Hansen is keen to build depth in certain positions.
Despite their inexperience, Hansen said there would be no excuse for a second successive flat display.
“Another key focus has been our mental preparation, which needs to be bone deep and genuine,” Hansen said.
“The French have proven to be a worthy opponent and very difficult to play.”
A raw-looking bench features one-Test hooker Liam Coltman and fringe flanker Matt Todd.
Crusaders backs Mo’unga and Goodhue both appeared in a midweek match for New Zealand, against a France XV in Lyon last November.
The all-Crusaders tight five remains the same, with captain Sam Whitelock playing his 99th Test and Owen Franks his 98th.
ALL BLACKS
Ben Smith, Waisake Naholo, Jack Goodhue, Sonny Bill Williams, Rieko Ioane, Damian McKenzie, Aaron Smith, Luke Whitelock, Ardie Savea, Shannon Frizell, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock (capt), Owen Franks, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody. Reserves: Liam Coltman, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Jackson Hemopo, Matt Todd, TJ Perenara, Richie Mo’unga, Jordie Barrett.