The Chiefs will have all their All Blacks on deck when they take on the Crusaders in Super Rugby in Hamilton on Saturday.
Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane, Liam Messam, Augustine Pulu and Aaron Cruden have all been named in a starting line-up showing 11 changes to the one that took the field against the Brumbies last week.
Sonny Bill Williams also returns in the midfield after recovering from his calf complaint.
In contrast, the Crusaders will be missing Dan Carter (lower leg), Israel Dagg (thigh), Owen Franks (suspension), Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock (resting) for the Super Rugby blockbuster at Waikato Stadium.
"There is a huge rivalry between these two teams and obviously Liam, Brodie and Aaron are pretty crucial to what we're about," said Chiefs assistant coach Tom Coventry.
"We rely heavily on some of the experiences they bring from past matches against the Crusaders. I think it's important that we draw on some of our past experiences because everyone knows these matches go pretty close."
The Chiefs are one of four unbeaten teams in the competition so far and have won five of the past eight encounters against the Crusaders, including two semi-finals. In most cases only a handful of points have separated the teams.
That's likely to be the case again on Saturday night meaning the Chiefs will need to improve their discipline if they are to continue their winning start to the year. In two games so far they have conceded 28 penalties, ten of those at scrum time.
Coventry believes the scrums have become a lottery, with players pushing the boundaries despite a pre-season agreement that meant there should be a clear gap at the bind, no movement after the engagement, and that players would push straight.
"As usual teams try and come up with little competitive edges in the scrum... (and) all the things we spoke about at the conference that wouldn't happen are happening," Coventry lamented.
He felt the onus is on the players to end the constant resets and scrum collapses spoiling the game.
"For the benefit of our game the players need to buy in to what the referees are trying to do."
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