Patrick Tuipulotu made his World Cup debut last night in the All Blacks' crucial 23-13 win over the Springboks in Yokohama but the Kiwi lock admits it was a hectic occasion.
Tuipulotu played an important role off the bench after entering the game at the start of the second half for Sam Cane, who had been subbed off due to a head collision.
But the first 40 minutes of the match were a tough time for the 26-year-old who was appearing in his first Rugby World Cup Test.
"I told myself to try and treat it like any other Test match but I think the occasion got the best of me and I started to think about the bigger picture," Tupulotu told 1 NEWS.
"I was getting nervous sitting on the bench and thinking about, 'if we lose, there's still a lot of games to go, it's not just a regular Test match'.
"In saying that, pretty happy we came away with the win."
Once on the field, Tuipulotu joined Sam Whitelock in the locks while Scott Barrett shifted to the vacant loose forward spot.
The Blues captain then went about making his presence known with some big hits as he did his bit to galavanise the All Blacks' defence and deny the Springboks a comeback.
"They fought right to the end - I was pretty nervous going through the ups and downs of the game," he said.
"It's a good feeling now that we've come out on top.
"For me it's a big confidence boost. Hopefully get some more game time and some good rugby under my belt."
SHARE ME