British and Irish Lions 2017: All Blacks make three changes as Waisake Naholo and Anton Lienert-Brown start

Ben Smith and Ryan Crotty are ruled out through injuries suffered in the first test victory over the Lions

Waisake Naholo will start for the All Blacks in the absence of Ben Smith (Getty)

New Zealand coach Steve Hansen has been forced into making two changes to his starting line-up for the second Test against the British and Irish Lions after both Ben Smith and Ryan Crotty were ruled out with injury, with both Anton Lienert-Brown and Waisake Naholo coming into the side.

Smith’s absence through concussion that he suffered in the 30-15 first Test victory means that Israel Dagg moves from wing to full-back, allowing room for Highlanders back Naholo to come into the side. The 26-year-old Naholo, who scored against the Lions in the Highlanders’ victory earlier this month, is in line to win his 13th cap for the All Blacks, having notched six tries along the way.

Lienert-Brown meanwhile was unlucky to miss out on the first Test starting line-up and came off the bench when Crotty injured his hamstring, and his promotion from the bench allows Ngani Laumape, the Hurricanes centre who scored against the Lions in Tuesday’s 31-31 draw here in Wellington, to be included for the first time.

"Whilst it's disappointing to lose both Ben Smith and Ryan Crotty, it creates an opportunity for others,” said All Blacks head coach Hansen. “Izzy (Israel Dagg) is a world-class back three player, as is Anton in the midfield, and both Waisake and Ngani are coming into the Test side following outstanding performances against the Lions for their respective Super franchises.”

Hansen admitted that he wants to see an improvement from his side despite last weekend’s victory at Eden Park which puts the All Blacks within one Test win of clinching a fourth-straight series triumph against the Lions, and he felt it could have been a different story had the Lions taken their chances in Auckland.

"Whilst we were happy with the win last weekend, we know that it was just a start, in what is a three-Test Series. That means the job is far from done. It's going to require us to take our game to a higher level. It's going to be very demanding, physically and mentally, on both sides.

"We're aware the British and Irish Lions have their backs to the wall and will chuck everything at us to keep themselves alive in the Series. They are a quality side who we respect immensely.

"In reality, last week's Test could've gone either way had they taken more of their chances. Our job will be to make sure that we shut down their counter-attack better than we did last weekend and at the same time, win the critical moments across the 80 minutes. As always, it'll start with the battle of the tight five.

"We've worked hard throughout the week in our preparation here in Wellington and are now looking forward to Saturday."