PIUTAU’S MAGICAL PASS
The All Blacks played France three times in New Zealand in June 2013. They won the series after a tight battle in Auckland, followed by a supremely good performance in Christchurch and another challenging night in New Plymouth.
When they headed to Paris later that year, they knew they were going to be in for a tough, tough game. And so it proved.
The French were up for it. They were well organised. They were passionate. They came at the All Blacks in waves and on a cold and dank night in Paris, they were threatening to inflict the first All Blacks’ defeat of the season.
But the All Blacks were able to produce a piece of magic late in the first half when young wing Charles Piutau managed to force himself into a gap between two defenders and then flip an extraordinary pass to captain Kieran Read who blasted over from 20 metres to score a critical try.
It was an incredible pass by Piutau and when he was asked about it after the 26-19 victory, he said: “It was instinct,” he said. “I saw an opportunity. What was going through my head was that I hoped he [Read] was catching it and it wasn’t an intercept.”
Coach Steve Hansen was a little less restricted in his praise of the moment that won the All Blacks their 11th consecutive test of 2013.
“To score the try he did, showed a lot of pace and to set up the try for Kieran showed a lot of skill and flair. He’s got a lovely mixture of both,” Hansen said.