Julian Savea dropped from New Zealand squad for Rugby Championship

Winger Julian Savea has been dropped from the All Blacks squad for the 2017 Rugby Championship.

Savea, who has scored 46 tries in 54 Tests, has recently struggled for form and lost his place to Hurricanes team-mate Nehe Milner-Skudder, who returns to the New Zealand squad after an injury-enforced absence of two years.

Prop Nepo Laulala has also been recalled after playing four Tests in 2015 and is among 18 forwards in the 33-man squad which was announced Monday.

Chiefs utility Damian McKenzie has been selected to cover for full-back Ben Smith, who will play the first two Bledisloe Cup Tests against Australia before taking an extended break.

Lima Sopoaga was picked as fly-half understudy to Beauden Barrett after Aaron Cruden's departure for France.

Savea missed New Zealand's first two Tests against the British and Irish Lions last month because of fitness and form concerns but returned for the drawn third Test in Auckland. His form for the Hurricanes throughout the Super Rugby season was mixed and his omission likely opens the left-wing position for youngster Rieko Ioane.

Head coach Steve Hansen said: "Julian's been a very, very good All Black for us and done some great things, I feel for him a wee bit at this stage," Hansen added.

"He's disappointed and so he should be. He's done a lot in the jersey, he's enhanced it when he's worn it and his time's not over.

"We've organised to talk to him later in the week where he'll be better ready to hear the messages and there are some good messages to give him."

New Zealand will begin the Rugby Championship with Bledisloe Cup Tests against Australia in Sydney on August 19 and Dunedin a week later, before matches against Argentina in New Plymouth on September 5 and Buenos Aires on September 30, and South Africa in Auckland on September 16 and Cape Town on October 7.

A third Bledisloe Cup Test at Brisbane on October 21 is not part of the Championship.

"For us, it's a case of re-establishing ourselves and building on our good work from last year and during the recent New Zealand Lions series," Hansen said.

"There were some clear things learnt in the Lions series and this is a great chance for us to implement those; to continue to grow our skill execution and the mental side of our game and develop our leadership and the leadership group.

"The first two Bledisloe Cup matches will set the tone as we know the Australians will throw everything at us while we're expecting the South Africans and Argentinians to be as bruising and physical as always.

"We've learnt since the introduction of Argentina that there is a massive travelling component to the Championship which comes at a cost at the end of the year so we'll be looking to implement some new strategies to try and overcome that."

The squad contains 10 players from the Crusaders lineup which won the Super Rugby title on Saturday with a win over the Johannesburg-based Lions in the final.

New Zealand squad:

Forwards: Dane Coles, Nathan Harris, Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Owen Franks, Nepo Laulala, Joe Moody, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Luke Romano, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane, Vaea Fifita, Jerome Kaino, Kieran Read, Ardie Savea, Liam Squire.

Backs: Tawera Kerr-Barlow, T.J. Perenara, Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett, Lima Sopoaga, Ryan Crotty, Ngani Laumape, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sonny Bill Williams, Jordie Barrett, Israel Dagg, Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Waisake Naholo, Ben Smith, Damian McKenzie.