Sam Whitelock enjoys the pressure as the heat continues All Blacks for the series decider

• Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is set to earn his first All Blacks cap after being named in the reserves.
• David Havili, Will Jordan, Sam Whitelock and Nepo Laulala start from XV.
• No specialist lock in the bank with Scott Barrett offering cover from No. 6
• Dane Coles and Akira Ioane joined the bench after missing the first two tests.

Sam Whitelock’s quick recovery from a concussion has allowed a much-needed ray of sunshine to sneak into the tense All Blacks camp as they seek revenge against Ireland in Wellington on Saturday night.

Veteran Lock Whitelock, who was sorely missed when the All Blacks’ self-discipline went out the window during their 23-12 loss in the second Test in Dunedin, has been rushed back to start the series decider at Sky Stadium.

Unlike the first test in Auckland when they mastered the pace during the second and third quarters to romp home 42-19, the All Blacks were a wild-eyed gang the following week; Besides Angus Ta’avao being shown a red card, Leicester Fainga’anuku and Ofa Tuungafasi were also booked in the first half and were penalized 14 times.

Had Whitelock been in the park, he might have been able to help captain Sam Cane convince his players to stop imploding themselves before taking a first loss to Ireland on New Zealand soil.

Instead, he could do nothing but play the part of a frustrated spectator.

The good news for the All Blacks now is that Whitelock has been declared fit after experiencing self-reported symptoms of a concussion after the initial test.

“If you talked to someone after the game who knows me and myself well, I knew I wasn’t quite right,” Whitelock said when explaining why he was off limits in Dunedin.

“I had a concussion or headache symptoms, and as always I was never pressured to be ready for that next week (the second test). And I followed protocols. And here I am, ready to go.”

Unlike Irish captain Johnny Sexton, who failed an HIA during the test at Eden Park and was unable to return, Whitelock was still on the field after the final whistle.

It wasn’t until later that he felt unwell: “It was pretty clear and obvious after the game, if you cool down normally, you get worse.”

While Sexton passed the next HIA tests to lead Ireland to their famous win in Dunedin, Whitelock was immediately scratched and Scott Barrett was transferred from blindside flanker to lock in his absence.

Dalton Papalii started at number 6 when the All Blacks had three open flankers in their back row. That experiment is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon, as Ireland won the battle against the hosts in the slump.

Now that Whitelock is fit, All Blacks coach Ian Foster has returned to the back row combination of Ardie Savea, Cane and Barrett, who helped him to the tourists during the first test.

The durable Whitelock, who will play his 134th test on Saturday night, started his recovery with light gym and training sessions.

“The first few days I was a bit dodgy, but with the new protocols you don’t really have to do anything for the first few days and that’s exactly what I needed.”

With Brodie Retallick, Whitelock and Barrett all in the starting lineup, Foster hasn’t named a specialist on his bench; instead, he has picked loose forwards Akira Ioane and Papalii, who will likely be instructed to use their energies to pick up the pace of the game in the second period.

Earlier in the week, Cane compared the run-up to preparations for a World Cup final. Whitelock, who has played in three World Cups and is signed until the end of next year’s tournament in France, appeared to welcome the intense scrutiny during the countdown to the decider.

“It’s great to be part of a test match, but these are the ones I want to be involved in as a player because the pressure is there and you find out how you are under that pressure individually, but also as a team.”