New All Black Stephen Perofeta says his 55 second-long All Blacks debut is a moment he and his family will never forget.
Perofeta came onto the pitch in the final moments as the All Blacks slumped to a first defeat to Argentina on New Zealand soil on Saturday.
The fact he was given less than minute on debut was slammed by some as disrespectful, while coach Ian Foster indicated he wanted Perofeta on earlier but the flow of the game didn't allow it.
"We considered all those options," Foster said after the match when asked if he contemplated holding him back.
"But I guess the subbing became a little bit niggly at the end, in particular with the yellow card [to Shannon Frizell] and the nature and position of that.
"Again, Stephen was a guy we really wanted to get on, we think he can inject stuff into our attack with his footwork and his second receiver role. But it was a game that didn’t quite flow that way."
The man himself, however, says it's a moment he will long cherish.
"No-one can take it away from me, it was real special, it was a dream that was fulfilled for me," he told Breakfast on Friday.
"My family was up and they were proud, extremely proud and happy. Just the whole occasion, the lead up to the test, the anthem and the haka, I just made sure I enjoyed every moment of it.
"When I ran on I couldn't do much, but even afterwards, the support, my dad and partner and family being there, was real neat."
He admitted to being more nervous during the week, but tried to keep things simple for when given the opportunity.
Perofeta hasn't been named in the 23 for Saturday's rematch with Los Pumas with Foster instead recalling Blues teammate Beauden Barrett for the No.22 jersey.
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