Brodie Retallick has been named on the bench but captain Kieran Reid and Beauden Barrett have both been named to start against Italy in an All Blacks team that features 11 changes from the starting side that lost to Ireland on Sunday.
Openside flanker Ardie Savea and fullback Damien McKenzie have also been retained from the side that lost in Dublin, with Hansen saying it was important for McKenzie and Barrett to build their combination together and also with Richie Mo’unga, who was named on the bench.
"That's the three guys that we see at the moment that would most likely go to the World Cup, so getting those three guys combining either at the beginning of the game or during the course of the game is important," Hansen told the media in Rome.
Steve Hansen said playing the younger Barrett brother on the wing was about opening up selection chances for him, while he wants Vaea Fifita to make a physical impact.
"We haven’t got too many games left, so the more we play them together, the better it will be."
On Read, Hansen defended the skipper, who was widely criticised after the loss to Ireland.
"He’s going well, he’s in the best shape he’s been all year, he’s had some tough moments during the course of the year which I think have been great for him," he said.
"His back was a career ending possibility, so to deal with that, he’s had some learnings on the track as a leader, he’s come through that fine. He’s got all the respect in the world from the team."
"He knocked a ball on, on Saturday, that was pretty costly, he knows that and he’s bitterly disappointed about but that’s rugby, sometimes that happens."
Retallick had been rested after what Hansen described as a tired performance against the Irish.
"We might have started Brods (Retallick), but only getting half a game against Aussie, and then that big one against England, I think that sort of took a bit of wind out of his sails, he wasn’t as good as he can be against Ireland so just giving him a breather to freshen up and come off the bench," he said.
"The rest of them (forwards) is what we planned to."
Jordie Barrett was a surprise inclusion on the wing, with Hansen saying selectors didn’t regard him as an option at either first-five eighth or in the midfield.
"We think he’s a real quality player but at the moment, he’s playing fullback or he’s not playing," he said.
"He’s 21, he’s a baby, he’s got a tremendous amount of ability but he hasn’t put it all together yet but he’s going to, and when he does he’s going to be a great player."
"When he does become more polished he’s going to be pretty special."
The focus for the team was on controlling the tempo and the physical contest against a big Italian side, Hansen said.
They’re a team who can hurt you if you don’t get it right, so we’ll just have to turn up and make sure that we dictate the pace of it, we control the physical contest and put them under pressure."
"They don’t give you a lot of room to go around them so we’ll have to go through them at some point."
All Blacks: 1. Ofa Tuungafasi, 2. Dane Coles, 3. Nepo Laulala, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 5. Scott Barrett, 6, Vaea Fifita, 7. Ardie Savea, 8. Kieran Read (captain), 9. TJ Perenara, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11, Waisake Naholo, 12, Ngani Laumape, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 14. Jordie Barrett. 15, Damien McKenzie
Bench: 16, Nathan Harris. 17, Karl Tu’inukuafe. 18, Angus Ta’avao, 19, Brodie Retallick, 20. Dalton Papalii, 21. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22, Richie Mo’unga, 23, Rieko Ioane.
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