The All Blacks will be without both centre Ryan Crotty and wing Rieko Ioane for the second Bledisloe Cup clash at Eden Park next weekend.
Crotty suffered a concussion while Ioane tore a hamstring during Saturday’s 38-13 Rugby Championship victory over the Wallabies in Sydney.
Therefore changes are set to be made to New Zealand‘s backline, with coach Steve Hansen revealing they are waiting on Vince Aso’s fitness.
“The guy we are pretty keen on is Aso, we are trying to get an update on his about how his wrist is,” he told reporters following their victory.
New Zealand aren’t alone in struggling with injury concerns, however, as Australia will be without Israel Folau next weekend, a blow Hansen believes they can bounce back from.
“We’d be silly to think they haven’t got another player who’s going to step in and wear the jersey with pride and urgency,” he said.
“Their backs are against the wall. They’re going to improve. Teams that get beaten learn better than those that win and are hungrier than those that win.”