Anton Lienert-Brown was full of support for fellow All Blacks midfielder Rieko Ioane this afternoon after his teammate's costly handling error in Sunday's Bledisloe Cup draw.
Ioane looked destined to score after the halftime hooter for the All Blacks to cap off a brilliant counter-attacking play, but as he flew over the tryline and looked to plant the ball down with one hand, replays showed he lost control of the ball.
As a result, the All Blacks went to the sheds with five points taken off the board in the eventual 16-16 draw. They led 8-3 at the time.
Lienert-Brown said Ioane would bounce back from the mistake, though.
"I think, knowing Rieko, he's going to hit back hard," Lienert-Brown said.
"Obviously, there was a couple of things there that he could've improved but we all know the huge talent he possesses."
Sunday's Test was Ioane's first in the midfield at international level, having previously played on the wing for the All Blacks.
Lienert-Brown, who has played all 45 of his Tests at 12 or 13, said he thought Ioane had a decent game overall.
"I thought, for the most part, he did his role pretty well," Lienert-Brown said.
"Unfortunately, it's going to be overlooked by one moment but he's a classy player so I know the character he has and he'll hit back hard."
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