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“This was my All Blacks debut, when my dream became a reality, against Wales in Hamilton.

“A lot of people watch that game again and wonder what I’m doing with 26 on my back. Early in the game my jersey got ripped and I had to change from 12 to 26.

“Steve Hansen was coaching Wales and made my opposite number (Mark Taylor) give me his jersey without swapping. So I had three Test jerseys for my debut; it wasn’t only a dream but I picked up three bits of memorabilia!

Adidas took the 12 jersey to be tested to work out why it ripped, but then got it fixed up for me.

“My debut was a really proud moment for me and my family, and there was a lot of importance on this game as we’d lost the week before to England.

“I was lucky to play in a team on fire that day, which made my job easy. I got to kick a few goals and score a try (NZ won 55-3). From this day on, I realised I didn’t want the feeling to ever stop; I’d work as hard as I could to play for the All Blacks for as long as I could.”