Sam Darry has replaced Blues teammate Patrick Tuipulotu in the All Blacks squad travelling to San Diego.
Lock Tuipulotu has been rested after a physical two-match sweep series against England for the one-off test match against Fiji at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium on Friday (kick-off 2.30pm NZ Time).
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Darry, standing 2.03m, who also replaced Tuipulotu in the Blues starting line-up for their Super Rugby Pacific semifinal against the ACT Brumbies, will be among a number of rookies expected to be used against Fiji.
Tuipulotu tore his medical collateral ligament (MCL) during their quarterfinal victory over the Queensland Reds and was expected to be out for six weeks, missing the England series. However, in a stunning recovery, he started both matches.
Darry, 24, has played 34 matches for the Blues since 2001 and has played four seasons and 35 matches with his hometown province Canterbury.
“We’ve got a full squad bar Patrick Tuipulotu,” said All Blacks attack coach Leon MacDonald.
“Patty’s was a decision around his fitness in terms of his body, his return into the [Super Rugby Pacific] final with a knee [injury], he rolled his ankle during that game and then two massive efforts against a really physical England pack. We just feel we need to look after him a little bit."
Also anticipated for a potential test debut is Hurricanes midfielder Billy Proctor, who had a breakout season as they reached the Super Rugby Pacific semifinals.
“Billy is fantastic," MacDonald said. "I experienced Billy for the first time with the New Zealand XV as a coach and really enjoyed the way he plays, but also he’s a good student of the game. He’s got a skillset and work rate that’s as good as any midfielder.
“He’s pushing really hard and waiting for his opportunity to play and he’s definitely a player that I think would handle test rugby really well.”