NO AGONY, NO ECSTASY. OUR EMOTIONS WERE SCRAMBLED

OUR discipline was much better, the penny had finally dropped but we were behind when referee Roman Poite awarded us a penalty with three minutes to go. It was 48 metres out. Owen (Farrell) hadn’t had his greatest game but quality players step up when it matters. And Owen did. What a kick! It was 15-15 and their kick-off.

We’d practised this scenario: receiving a short kick-off with the last play. But Liam Williams couldn’t gather under pressure from (Kieran) Read and then Ken Owens played the ball. Poite awarded a penalty. Our first thoughts were: game over.

But Sam (Warburton) asked to check a challenge in the air. Poite called the two captains together and now decided to give it as an accidental offside. The result was an All Blacks scrum. I thought: ‘We’re getting a call here!’

If we’d lost the series in that call, it would have been very tough. It could even have been a penalty against Read for the challenge in the air.

After that they came at us in waves but then the ball went dead and it was a draw and a drawn series. No agony, no ecstasy. Our emotions were scrambled.

It was an amazing achievement, having been completely written off. When the dust settles more and more people will appreciate what an accomplishment it was.