He crossed for his third try in the final Test but that was not enough to rescue his team as Ireland won the series 2-1. Savea, for all his prodigious talent and influence, has been on the losing side in five of the eight matches in which he’s opposed Ireland, including captaining the All Blacks when they lost to Andy Farrell’s side in November 2021.
The family prowess for the sport was evident at a young age, head boy at his school, Rongotai College in suburban Wellington, he captained the first team, scored 17 tries in 36 games for Wellington and eventually followed his brother to the Hurricanes. Former New Zealand coach Steve Hansen offered an insight as to why. “At one point, he was the impact player off the bench but his stamina and his strength as he’s matured now allows him to do the special things he does for 80 minutes. That puts pressure on everyone else to come to his standards. He’s just got better and better as he’s gotten older and stronger. We’ve always known he’s an exceptional athlete. He’s confident, it doesn’t matter where he plays.
A valedictory display against Italy, comprising tries number 22 and 23 in his 78-Test career to date, two try assists, five broken tackles and 100m run which was only second behind the two wings. New Zealand head coach Ian Foster admitted: “It’s kind of what I expect out of him. He’s a special man. He leads the team well, and the boys follow him. You can’t ask for much more.
He has a special word for one of the Irish backrow. “Josh van der Flier, a good mate of mine off the field, a good Christian man. He has been impressive. Always a 100 per cent, going hard, just keeps going and could go for another 80.”