All Black centurion Ardie Savea: 'I just had to stand up for the brothers'

The Wellington native earned his first cap against Wales in 2016 at the iconic Eden Park. It was fitting for Savea to return to the hallowed turf nine years and 99 caps later for a memorable battle against perennial rivals, the Boks.

The loose forward earned a crucial turnover at the breakdown 5m out from his own tryline in the dying embers of the match.

"It was a gutsy performance," said Savea after the titanic clash.

"As a player, you thrive on pressure and it makes you want to do better, and that's what the people of this nation deserve.

"It's Eden Park, it's our home, but we shouldn't wait until Eden Park to get up and put a performance in like that. I just had to stand up for the brothers. For me, I just try to anticipate things and do what the team needs me to do. It's as simple as that."

In the wake of the gritty 24-17 win, All Blacks boss Scott Robertson was full of praise for his humble superstar.

"I was just so pleased," said the coach.

"He's a person that makes big plays and he sums them up beautifully. It was his moment on the 100th.

"He's a guy that's so mentally tough, physically tough and just keeps getting up and he did reflect the Test match for us."

Teammate and captain Scott Barrett described the 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year as the 'spiritual leader' of the team.

"I'm personally proud of the way the rest of the 23 guys fronted up for Ardie," added Barrett.

"He's a spiritual leader within our team. So we wanted to make that special."