While many fans were left stunned after the controversial call which saw the All Blacks beat the Wallabies in miraculous fashion, the players had also never seen anything like it.
“It was one for the books. There was a lot going on in that last couple of minutes. To the letter of the law, we stuck to our guns and came away with that outcome at the end,” Rieko Ioane said.
Ioane put up a monster performance which included an incredible try-saving tackle on the Wallabies’ Andrew Kellaway in the first-half.
He gave credit to his teammate Richie Mo’unga who came running through in support.
“It was a bit of a moment there where we just scored points and they managed to get it back so stopping them from scoring was huge.”
“It was actually my mate over here,” referring to Mo’unga. “60/40 credit. It was an awesome feeling.”
Brodie Retallick was also left shocked by the end of the match, commending referee Mathieu Raynal for his call which saw the Wallabies' Bernard Foley punished for taking too long to kick a penalty.
“I applaud the referee for making a call in a big moment like that. He obviously warned the Wallabies a couple of times to play. They were trying to run the clock down which I think we would’ve as well,” Retallick said.
During the final moments of the game with the crowd going crazy and the Wallabies preparing for a historic victory, it was difficult to hear anything.
While Foley did say he thought time was called off, Retallick said he could hear the referee Mathieu Raynal saying to use the ball.
There will no doubt be more analysing and reaction, adding to what is already one of the most talked about matches in Bledisloe history.
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