Patrick Tuipulotu ready to repay Dave Rennie's faith in All Blacks return

Sa’u Patrick Tuipulotu has fought through another injury setback to earn his chance back in black - and the Sāmoan lock says he does not want to let All Blacks coach Dave Rennie down.

Tuipulotu will make his first Test start of the year when New Zealand host Ireland at Eden Park on Saturday.

The 33-year-old returns to the starting XV after recovering from the calf injury that ruled him out of Rennie's maiden Test match in charge against France.

The match is the third round of the Nations Championship with the All Blacks arriving at Eden Park unbeaten after wins over France and Italy in their opening two Tests.

For the Auckland Blues captain, the opportunity means more after another difficult period on the sidelines.

"He’s [Rennie] trusting me, so I don't want to disappoint him and let people down," Tuipulotu told a media conference.

Sa’u Patrick Tuipulotu in the All Blacks scrum against Ireland in 2022. Photo/Steve McArthur/Photosport

"I suppose that's why he picked me this week. Looking forward to the physical battle up front."

Tuipolotu has battled injuries throughout his career since making his All Blacks debut in 2014, with setbacks interrupting his time at both international and domestic level.

Rennie said Tuipulotu's resilience throughout those challenges made his return all the more rewarding.

"He has genuine impact and it would be nice for him to string some Tests together," Rennie told journalists.

"It's been a challenging year for him, he's constantly had niggles and maybe never really been 100 per cent ... we just wanted to give him one more week."

The All Blacks coach believes Tuipulotu's size, experience and physicality will be important against an Ireland side known for their powerful forward pack.

"He had a really good training week last week and this week to give him confidence to go out and go full throttle," Rennie said.

"He's a big man and it's just great to get Patty out there and he's really looking forward to it."

Tuipulotu expresses he is also looking forward to the physical battle.

The All Blacks forwards during a training session at North Harbour Stadium. Photo/Brett Phibbs/Photosport

"It's an opportunity for me to get out there and enjoy the game," he said. "The physical part is what I enjoy the most, and he's given me free rein to do that this week.

"It's the ultimate test coming up against the Irish."

The rivalry between New Zealand and Ireland has become one of rugby’s biggest modern battles.

The Irish made history in 2022 by winning a Test series in Aotearoa for the first time while the two teams have shared five wins each across their last 10 meetings before the All Blacks regained the advantage with a 26-13 victory in Chicago last year.

Despite New Zealand's unbeaten record at Eden Park, stretching back more than three decades, Tuipulotu knows Ireland will arrive with confidence.

"We'd be kidding ourselves if we didn't respect them [Ireland]," he said.

"The last time they came here, they won the series against us, so we've got to respect that. I'm expecting nothing less than their best, so it's had to make us sort of shift gears in that aspect."

Rennie said the All Blacks must put Ireland under pressure and win the battle upfront.

"Our job's to get them out of their comfort zone, ensure through how we defend that they're below their best and try and profit off that," he said.

"We're going to have to bar up big-time at set-piece, and we're pretty confident with the group we've got that we can apply pressure there."

Tuipulotu will be one of seven players of Pacific heritage in the All Blacks' match-day 23, joining captain Ardie Savea and Tupou Vaa'i in the starting XV, while Asafo Aumua, Xavier Numia, Peter Lakai and Caleb Clarke provide impact off the bench.

Vaa'i's move to blindside flanker is one of the biggest talking points from this week's team naming, with the No. 6 jersey remaining one of the All Blacks' most unsettled positions over the past year.

For more on the Nations Championship, click here.

Kick-off: 7.10pm (NZT), Eden Park

TEAMS

All Blacks: Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor, Tyrel Lomax, Josh Lord, Patrick Tuipolotu, Tupou Vaai, Luke Jacobson, Ardie Savea, Cam Roigard, Ruben Love, Josh Moorby, Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Will Jordan, Damian McKenzie. Reserves: Asafo Aumua, Xavier Numia, Fletcher Newell, Anton Segner, Peter Lakai, Cortez Ratima, Anton Lienert-Brown, Caleb Clarke.

Ireland: Tom O’Toole, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Sam Prendergast, Jimmy O’Brien, Stuart McCloskey, Garry Ringrose, Rob Baloucoune, Hugo Keenan. Reserves: Ronan Kelleher, Jeremy Loughman, Thomas Clarkson, Nick Timoney, Sean Jansen, Craig Casey, Ciaran Frawley, Bundee Aki.