Less is more as Savea dines out on Wallabies
Julian Savea misses his BK, but not the doghouse he was consigned to while munching on it.
The game-changing All Blacks wing was left to reflect on the sacrifices he has made after his star turn in the second half of Saturday night’s history-making 37-10 victory over the Wallabies at Eden Park.
The All Blacks’ tilt at that world record 18th straight victory looked under real threat early in the second half before the 109kg tacklebuster left his imprint all over the contest.
First, in the 45th minute, he was involved in a contentious no-try ruling against the Australians when Wallaby wing Dane HaylettPetty was ruled to have obstructed him prior to Henry Speight’s run in for a score that could have wrested the lead for the Wallabies.
Instead, within minutes the All Blacks were running away with the contest as Savea unleashed his destructive power game to run in two tries and then set up hooker Dane Coles for a nail-in-the-coffin five-pointer that sealed the deal.
It’s fair to say that after a difficult year, when Savea was demoted at the Hurricanes and again challenged by his national coaches to make the sacrifices he needed to perform at the highest level, that suddenly footy is fun again. The man they call ‘‘The Bus’’ is back running on schedule.
His two tries at a full Eden Park took his tally to a remarkable 45 in 49 tests. Moreover, he was back trampling defenders like he does when his game is humming.
‘‘When you see a player go through what he went through and struggle to come out the other side ... we know he’s a world-class player when he can play well, and in the big moments he stood up. You’ve got to be really pleased for him,’’ said All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
Savea admitted he doubted he could have caught Speight when the TMO rubbed out the try for the obstruction.
‘‘Sometimes the rub of the green goes your way,’’ he said with a smile. ‘‘We were relieved and pretty happy. We saw they were a bit pissed off and we just needed to stay calm and play our game.’’
After a frustrating first half, where he was caught short once on defence, and struggled a little with his hands, Savea was rapt that ball started coming his way in the second.
‘‘It took a while to get a couple of ball carries, but the boys inside were working really hard, getting into the rucks, turning ball over and getting it into space. My job is to just try and finish off and reward them for their work.’’
He was asked, after his three fabulous second-half runs that turned the game on its head, whether he felt back ‘‘in the zone’’.
‘‘You call it what you want, it’s just playing my game and enjoying my footy and that’s where I’m at. I’m loving every moment,’’ he replied.
It’s all a far cry from his travails earlier this year when he was sent a clear message about his readiness. ‘‘I’m enjoying it so much better, and I’m sure everyone else is too. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my team-mates and coaches. I’m working so much harder, especially with my eating and keeping up with the fitness.’’
Asked what food he misses most, he replied: ‘‘Probably Burger King.’’.
Younger brother Ardie, a big part of another All Black supersub effort on Saturday night, made it clear that his sibling had turned a pretty important corner.
‘‘It’s good to see him do his thing out there. I would not want to be in the other team trying to tackle him.’’
And those changes his big bro’ has made off the field?
‘‘You can’t get him out of the gym, he’s always working on his guns, or his abs. Straight up, he loves the extras, and that’s awesome to see.’’