Barrett at fullback as All Blacks make 4 changes for the 1st Bledisloe Cup test

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Fullback Beauden Barrett will return to the starting 15 in the All Blacks team that will play Australia in the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup test in Sydney on Saturday.

Barrett was named on the bench for the second test against South Africa in Cape Town two weeks ago as head coach Scott Robertson tried to add experience to solve New Zealand's problem with closing out matches.

The move was unsuccessful as the Springboks rallied to win the match 18-12 after also coming from behind to win the first test 31-27.

Barrett's return forces Will Jordan, who started at fullback in Cape Town, to return to the right wing.

In the other change to the All Blacks lineup, Ethan de Groot returns from injury at looshead prop, forcing Tamaiti Williams to the bench and Caleb Clarke is named on the left wing after overcoming a back injury.

Scrumhalf T.J. Perenara who also was named on the bench for the second Springboks test remains among the reserves as Cortez Ratima retains the starting role in his sixth test.

“We have selected an experienced team which has combinations that have played some of our best rugby this season," Robertson said. “The Bledisloe Cup is so revered by both of these teams, we are expecting a classic showdown against our Australian rivals.

"We have acknowledged the rich history of the Cup this week as a team and recognize that history does not bestow any rights. The Bledisloe Cup is always hard-earned and each year is its own chapter in the Bledisloe story.”

The All Blacks have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003.

There will be heavy pressure on both teams in Saturday's test as they share 1-3 records in this season's Rugby Championship. The All Blacks had a win and a loss against Argentina in New Zealand then lost twice to the world champion Springboks in South Africa.

Australia lost two home tests against South Africa and won their first test in Argentina before losing last weekend's second test 67-27 after leading 20-3 in the 40th minute. It was the most points the Wallabies have ever conceded in a test match.

Meanwhile, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has resisted wholesale changes to the team so heavily beaten by Argentina. The New Zealand-born coach has recalled center Hunter Paisami and scrumhalf Nic White to his starting lineup, naming a new halves partnership as flyhalf Noah Lolesio also returns from injury.

Paisami and White both missed the Argentina tests and are named for the first time since the Springboks matches.

Backrower Fraser McReight will make his first Rugby Championship appearance of the season after recovering from a broken finger. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto returns from a shoulder injury to take his place on the bench and Tom Wright was named at fullback.

Prop James Slipper will come off the bench to break George Gregan's record for most test appearances for Australia in his 140th test.

“The players have reconnected well this week for our last game on home soil this year,” Schmidt said. ”We’ve acknowledged the poor finish to our time in Argentina and we’re keen to turn that around on what will be a particularly special day for James and his family.”

Australia: Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Marika Koroibete, Noah Lolesio, Nic White; Harry Wilson (captain), Fraser McReight, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Nick Frost, Taniela Tupou, Matt Faesller, Angus Bell. Reserves: Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper, Allan Ala'alatoa, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Tom Lynagh, Dylan Pietsch.

New Zealand: Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Damian McKenzie, Cortez Ratima; Ardie Savea, Sam Cane, Wallace Sititi, Tupou Vaa'i, Scott Barrett (captain), Tyrel Lomax, Codie Taylor, Ethan de Groot. Reserves: Asafo Aumua, Tamaiti Williams, Pasilio Tosi, Sam Darry, Luke Jacobson, T.J. Perenara, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sevu Reece.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

New Zealand's Cortez Ratima, left, and South Africa's Grant Williams, center, go for possession of the ball during a rugby championship test match between South Africa and New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium, South Africa, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht))

Argentina's Los Pumas Juan Cruz Mallia, center, is tackled by Australia's Marika Koroibete, second right, during a rugby championship test match in Santa Fe, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

Australia's Ben Donaldson, center, is tackled by Argentina's Los Pumas Juan Martin Gonzalez during a rugby championship test match in Santa Fe, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

New Zealand's Codie Taylor, makes off with the ball during a rugby championship test match between South Africa and New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium South Africa, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

Argentina's Los Pumas Joaquin Oviedo runs with the ball to score a try against Australia during a rugby championship test match in Santa Fe, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

New Zealand's Scott Barrett, left, tackles South Africa's Ox Nche during a rugby championship test match between South Africa and New Zealand at Cape Town Stadium South Africa, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

NEW YORK (AP) — Just one day after pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded, more electronic devices detonated in Lebanon Wednesday in what appeared to be a second wave of sophisticated, deadly attacks that targeted an extraordinary number of people.

Both attacks, which are widely believed to be carried out by Israel, have hiked fears that the two sides’ simmering conflict could escalate into all-out war. This week's explosions have also deepened concerns about the scope of potentially-compromised devices, particularly after such bombings have killed or injured so many civilians.

Here's what we know so far.

On Tuesday, pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded almost simultaneously in parts of Lebanon as well as Syria. The attack killed at least 12 people — including two young children — and wounded thousands more.

An American official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Israel briefed the U.S. on the operation — where small amounts of explosives hidden in the pagers were detonated. The Lebanese government and Iran-backed Hezbollah also blamed Israel for the deadly explosions. The Israeli military, which has a long history of sophisticated operations behind enemy lines, declined to comment.

A day after these deadly explosions, more detonations triggered in Beirut and parts of Lebanon Wednesday — including several blasts heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by Tuesday's explosions, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.

At least 25 people were killed and more than 600 were wounded, the Health Ministry said, in this apparent second attack.

When speaking to troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices, but praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies and said “we are at the start of a new phase in the war."

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday the mass bombing attack on the group’s communications devices was a “severe blow” and said Israel had crossed a “red line.”

He vowed that Hezbollah will keep going on with its attacks along the border with Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues. “The Lebanese front will not stop before the aggression on Gaza stops,” he said.

A Hezbollah official told the AP that walkie-talkies used by the group exploded on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Lebanon’s official news agency also reported that solar energy systems exploded in homes in several areas of Beirut and in southern Lebanon, wounding at least one girl.

While details are still emerging from Wednesday's attack, the second wave of explosions targeted a country that is still reeling from Tuesday's pager bombings. That attack appeared to be a complex Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah, but an enormous amount of civilian casualties were also reported, as the detonations occurred wherever members' pagers happened to be — including homes, cars, grocery stores and cafes.

Hezbollah has used pagers as a way to communicate for years. And more recently, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track the group’s movements.

Pagers also run on a different wireless network than mobile phones, which usually makes them more resilient in times of emergency. And for a group like Hezbollah, the pagers provided a means to sidestep what’s believed to be intensive Israeli electronic surveillance on mobile phone networks in Lebanon — as pagers' tech is simpler and carries lower risks for intercepted communications.

Elijah J. Magnier, a Brussels-based veteran and a senior political risk analyst who says he has had conversations with members of Hezbollah and survivors of the attack, said that the newer brand of pagers used in Tuesday’s explosions were procured more than six months ago. How they arrived in Lebanon remains unclear.

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday it had authorized use of its brand on the AR-924 pager model — but that a Budapest, Hungary-based company called BAC Consulting KFT produced and sold the pagers.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said that it had no records of direct exports of Gold Apollo pagers to Lebanon. And Hungarian government spokesman later added that the pager devices had never been in Hungary, either, noting that BAC had merely acted as an intermediary.

Speculation around the origins of the devices that exploded Wednesday has also emerged. A sales executive at the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese walkie-talkie maker Icom told the AP that the exploded radio devices in Lebanon appear to be a knock-off product and not made by Icom.

“I can guarantee you they were not our products,” said Ray Novak, a senior sales manager for Icom’s amateur radio division, in an interview Wednesday at a trade show in Providence, Rhode Island.

Osaka-based Icom added in a Thursday statement that the wireless radio unit IC-V82 was once manufactured for exports including to the Middle East from 2004 to October 2014. But the production and shipment of its main unit had ended about 10 years ago and batteries for them have also discontinued. Icom said the radio used in the explosion was not carrying an anti-counterfeit hologram sticker that all Icom devices should be carrying.

Tuesday's explosions were most likely the result of supply-chain interference, several experts told the AP — noting that very small explosive devices may have been built into the pagers prior to their delivery to Hezbollah, and then all remotely triggered simultaneously, possibly with a radio signal. That corroborates information shared from the U.S. official.

A former British Army bomb disposal officer explained that an explosive device has five main components: A container, a battery, a triggering device, a detonator and an explosive charge.

“A pager has three of those already,” said the ex-officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he now works as a consultant with clients on the Middle East. “You would only need to add the detonator and the charge.”

This signals involvement of a state actor, said Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordnance disposal expert. He added that Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad, was the most obvious suspect to have the resources to carry out such an attack. Israel has a long history of carrying out similar operations in the past.

The specifics of Wednesday's explosions are still uncertain. But reports of more electronic devices exploding may suggest even greater infiltration of boobytrap-like interference in Lebanon’s supply chain. It also deepens concerns around the lack of certainty of who may be holding rigged devices.

It would take a long time to plan an attack of this scale. The exact specifics are still unknown, but experts who spoke with the AP about Tuesday's explosions shared estimates ranging anywhere between several months to two years.

The sophistication of the attack suggests that the culprit has been collecting intelligence for a long time, explained Nicholas Reese, adjunct instructor at the Center for Global Affairs in New York University’s School of Professional Studies. An attack of this caliber requires building the relationships needed to gain physical access to the pagers before they were sold; developing the technology that would be embedded in the devices; and developing sources who can confirm that the targets were carrying the pagers.

Citing conversations with Hezbollah contacts, Magnier said the group is currently investigating what type of explosives were used in the device, suspecting RDX or PETN, highly explosive materials that can cause significant damage with as little as 3-5 grams. They are also questioning whether the device had a GPS system allowing Israel to track movement of the group members.

N.R. Jenzen-Jones, an expert in military arms who is director of the Australian-based Armament Research Services, added that “such a large-scale operation also raises questions of targeting" — stressing the number of causalities and enormous impact reported so far.

“How can the party initiating the explosive be sure that a target’s child, for example, is not playing with the pager at the time it functions?” he said.

Associated Press journalists Johnson Lai in Taipei, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Matt O'Brien in Providence, Rhode Island contributed to this report.

This video grab, shows a walkie-talkie that was exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo)

People donate blood for those who were injured by their exploded handheld pagers, at a Red Cross center, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)