All Black centurion Sam Whitelock received much of the focus before Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup opener. However, locking partner Brodie Retallick outshone him with a well-deserved Man of the Match performance, which included this monumental dummy.
With Retallick at his best on Saturday night, New Zealand were able to disrupt Australia’s set piece again and again. Neither scrum nor lineout ever looked fully within Australia’s control.
It’s probably not a reach at this point to claim the All Blacks possess the best second row in world rugby. Clearly Sam Whitelock is no slouch, but even he is sometimes overshadowed by Retallick.
Not since last September had he played a Test match, yet he looked better than ever.
Steve Hansen is certainly one who fully understands how special the duo is. “I think the biggest compliment you can give Brodie is he plays with another guy who is a really special player in Sam Whitelock. To play 100 test matches for your country, you’ve got to be special.”
“Yet game after game people talk about Brodie, and he casts that shadow over Sammy a bit. They make a great locking combination, and push each other around the park, and around the training park as well. I can’t speak highly enough of both of them.”
To top it all off, Retallick displayed his offensive skills by selling this unbelievable dummy that saw him break free for one of six All Black tries.
Match highlights below, and under that, Retallick’s try again but with New Zealand commentary
Credit: All Blacks/sanzaar
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