Stephen Perofeta has never been far from the All Black conversation ever since he debuted at Super Rugby level.
But it's fair to say his actual experience in the black jersey didn't quite go according to plan under the last coaching regime, which is why he's regarding his start at fullback in Saturday's 16-15 win over England with special reverence.
"In a way, that's how I treated it - this could be my only chance, my last chance," he said.
But while his sentiment is understandable, it would take some pretty catastrophic bad luck for that to actually be the case. While Perofeta was the surprise name in Scott Robertson's maiden starting line-up, he repaid his coach's faith with an assured performance at fullback.
All Black Stephen Perofeta speaks to media. Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
"I wanted just to make the most of it, express myself, enjoy it, smile and be free," Perofeta said.
However, running freely wasn't exactly easy against an effective English defensive line giving the All Blacks barely any time to execute plays.
"The first moments of the game, I felt the physicality of it… we talked about the pressure they provided through their line speed, it's always difficult actually in the match when it's live. It did pressure us at times. This week we have to find ways to negate that."
A good start would be to have a look at the way the 27-year-old Perofeta unlocked the line in the leadup to the All Blacks' second try, with a quick read of a mismatch then quick feet to break the line to feed a wide open Ardie Savea.
Assistant coach Jason Holland said Perofeta ticked a few boxes with his performance.
"When teams kick long to him they do at their peril. He set up a couple of our attacks nicely from the back… Beaudy (Beauden Barrett), Stevie and DMac (Damian McKenzie) have been working hard with each other to make sure we can control the game."
All Black Stephen Perofeta speaks to media at a press conference in Auckland on 8 July 2024. Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
It's a far cry from the shambolic way Perofeta debuted for the All Blacks, having been subbed on with a minute to play in 2022's historic loss to Argentina in Christchurch and then discarded till coach Ian Foster rolled out a B team to play Japan later that year.
Perofeta, who started his journey to the black jersey playing Heartland rugby with Whanganui, then had to deal with a shoulder injury this year at the Blues that sidelined him for two months.
However, it may well have been a blessing in disguise as Harry Plummer's excellent form saw coach Vern Cotter shift Perofeta to fullback for the remainder of their title-winning season. Without that shift - which was also due to an injury to the in-form Zarn Sullivan - Perofeta may not have showcased the skills Robertson required for this long test season.
Holland indicated the fullback spot will be one where the All Blacks will probably invoke some regular rotation, with 124-test veteran Beauden Barrett coming off the bench after 50 minutes in a game where the English suddenly slammed the door shut on any All Black attacking opportunities.
"We just had it in our mind that he could come at any stage at 10 or 15… it was a good time to get Beaudy's experience in there to help us play in the right part of the field," Holland said.
The action now shifts to Eden Park for Saturday night's second test, a venue that was packed out when Perofeta last played there in the Super Rugby Pacific final.
"If there's a packed-out stadium there can be a lot of pressure. There are a lot of eyes. The stakes are higher. One thing I think about is that it's a big occasion, but I'm not trying to play the occasion."
The softly spoken Perofeta clearly is not getting carried away, simply enjoying the moment.
"I just want to back my preparation and play the beautiful game of rugby."
