Ardie Savea, the New Zealand third row, savored his team’s victory in the quarter-final of the World Cup against Ireland (28-24) on Saturday evening: “We were patient and disciplined, it could have ended differently. We had to draw during the last five minutes, it was really special. (…) It was like a final for us. We were eliminated in the half in Japan. There are a few guys here who are in their last year. We had to show on the pitch how much we cared about this black jersey and these guys.” As for his own score during this clash, the All Black wanted to be modest: “I don’t know if it was my best performance, I just try to give the best on the field for the team. Personally there are still things in my game that I need to work on.”
For his part, Sam Whitelock, the New Zealand second row, gave his own analysis of the match, and of Savea’s performance: “We had the ball for long periods, both teams wanted to play and both defenses were good. (On Ardie Savea) He had a big defensive game, he made some good tackles. And managed to scratch a few balloons. The third lines managed to put pressure on the opponent.” As for Brodie Retallick, his companion in the all-black second line, he insisted on his relief after the last five minutes of very intense defense: “We were hanging on, it was a tough match. I was just trying to tackle well. It’s a good end to the match. The group showed a lot of determination to hang on. When the final whistle blew, I was relieved to be honest. It was a tough match against the best team in the world at the moment.”
