Hurricanes

Savea, along with Jordie Barrett, Ngani Laumape and Vaea Fifita will start for the Hurricanes in the final midweek fixture of the tour.

Loose forward Brad Shields will captain the Hurricanes.

Savea has been named on the left wing where he has started 12 of the Hurricanes 14 matches in 2017, while Barrett will wear the No.15 jersey for the 12th time in his first season of Investec Super Rugby.

Laumape will take his place at second five where he has scored 14 tries and combine centre Vince Aso, who has also scored 14 tries - a single season Hurricanes record.

The game was level at 7-7 with 15 minutes left on the clock before a break from Chiefs winger Shaun Stevenson set up James Lowe in the left corner to give the visitors the lead at 14-7.

RNZI reports the try was a fitting trophy for Lowe who played in his 50th Super Rugby match tonight.

Chiefs fullback Damien McKenzie then added a penalty in the final 10 minutes to push their lead to 10 points.

Then in the final three minutes of the game, the Hurricanes got down the other end of the field and scored through Wes Goosen, getting within three points of the Chiefs.

Milner-Skudder got 20 minutes off the bench in the Hurricanes Super Rugby win over the Western Force on Saturday night, his first outing since breaking a bone in his foot in round 3 in March.

The All Blacks squad for the Lions series is named on Thursday and while he'd probably be an outsider for that, Steve Hansen may consider him with Ben Smith in some doubt after leaving the field at the weekend.

Milner-Skudder isn't sure what part if any he'll play against the Lions.

Star playmaker Barrett withdrew from the side just before kick-off due to headaches, as the visitors managed a convincing bonus-point victory at Loftus Versfeld.

First-half tries from fullback Jordie Barrett, centre Ngani Laumape, South African-born wing Wes Goosen and lock Mark Abbott gave the Hurricanes a 24-13 halftime lead.

Hooker Leni Apisai crossed for their only try of the second half.

Teaming up with midfield accomplice Ngani Laumape, Aso crossed once in the first half and twice after the break in the nine-try rout at Wellington Regional Stadium, the home side's biggest winning margin over the South Africans.

Vaea Fifita, Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara, Jeff Toomaga-Allen, Ben Lam and Leni Apisai also crossed for the Hurricanes, who were back to their enterprising best after being humbled by the competition-leading Canterbury Crusaders last week.

All Black first five Beauden Barrett has been moved to fullback so Black can start at first five against the South African side the Cheetahs in Wellington on Saturday.

There are four changes to the team that started in the loss to the Crusaders with lock Sam Lousi set to make his starting debut.

Wes Goosen replaces Cory Jane on the right wing, and Ben May returns at loose head prop for Chris Eves.

Barrett's move back to fullback gives younger brother Jordie a break having appeared in every match this season and started the past seven.

Keeping the defending champions tryless for the first time since 2014, the Crusaders put on a clinic at the set-piece and nabbed the only five-pointer of the game, via openside Matt Todd, off the back of a maul.

They then proceeded to shut out the Hurricanes with frighteningly high line speed in defence, nullifying the potency of Beauden Barrett and company, and through the go-forward of an all-Test tight five.

The Crusaders lead the New Zealand conference, and overall standings, on 46 points with the Waikato Chiefs on 42 and the Hurricanes, who have played one less game, on 38.

Despite having won all 10 of their games so far this season, the Crusaders see match-ups against the Hurricanes on Saturday and the Chiefs in Suva on May 19 as the true examination of their title credentials.

"I suppose the next two weeks, the local derbies against the Chiefs and the Hurricanes, is the real test," Crusaders assistant coach Leon MacDonald said.

An unlikely brace of tries to lock Mark Abbott underpinned Saturday's win, the defending champions' sixth from seven matches this season.

Poor handling and some questionable option-taking again let the Blues down, the loss leaving the Aucklanders at the bottom of the New Zealand conference with just three wins from eight starts.

First blood went to the Hurricanes after three minutes when Abbott bulldozed over from close range, punishing some loose Blues defence around the ruck.

The defending champions overcame a red card to the All Blacks first-five to beat the Waratahs 38-28 in their Super Rugby clash in Wellington.

The World Rugby player of the year scored a try, but was also judged to have deliberately knocked the ball down twice in the match.

He was sent off in the 60th minute after receiving his second yellow card for the same offence.

The Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd hopes the red card is all that Barrett will cop.