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Man-of-the-match Anton Lienert-Brown emphasises 'true team effort' from All Blacks

October 7, 2019

The All Blacks midfielder shone in the 71-9 victory in Tokyo.

All Blacks midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown played down his man-of-the-match performance in yesterday's Rugby World Cup victory over Namibia, instead deflecting any personal praise towards his teammates.

Starting in the number 12 jersey, the 24-year old was a menace to Namibia, scoring twice, assisting another, running for 103 metres, making four line-breaks and beating 10 defenders, as well as making 10 tackles to take home the man-of-the-match award.

Lienert-Brown's performance will certainly leave coach Steve Hansen scratching his head over what midfield combination he'll make use of heading further into the tournament, with Ryan Crotty, Sonny Bill Williams and Jack Goodhue also in contention.

Speaking to 1 NEWS in the mixed zone after the win though, Lienert-Brown was eager to emphasise the win was down to the efforts of his teammates around him, rather than any individual brilliance.

"I guess the ball sort of came my way today," Lienert-Brown began.

"But, big-ups to the boys, it's a team sport and there was a lot of boys doing the hard yards on the inside.

"I got the plumbs on the end of the line, so it was a true team effort today."

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