NZ still in shock after 140kg prop sat down 100-cap All Black like never before
It takes a lot to send 123kg All Blacks centurion Brodie Retallick flying in a tackle, then again there is a lot of Crusaders tighthead Tamaiti Williams- 140kg of him, in fact.
It is hard to know what the Chiefs lock actually did wrong as he lined up to tackle Williams at the FMG Stadium on Saturday. He got in a good position and the tighthead was not exactly carrying the ball with a huge amount of pace or momentum. But it was almost like a chemical reaction occurred as soon as the players touched each other, and one of those reactions that causes the roof of a building to blow off, as Retallick was sent somersaulting backwards.
Rarely, if ever, has Retallick been treated like this and it showcased the ball carrying prowess of the Maori All Black, who had already scored a try from close range in the opening minutes of the match. Retallick also went over for a try just after half time, so this was a clash of the try scorers. The euphoric high of scoring the try did not last long for the Chiefs man though, as it was only a few minutes later that he was being unceremoniously smashed onto his backside.
Take a look at the collision:
Tamaiti Williams 🆚 Brodie Retallick #SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/7rXMlZJP2a
— RHABULA ☕️🐻 | 2023 Rugby World Cup (@Rugby_Scoop) May 2, 2023
While Williams came out on top in this encounter, Retallick and his Chiefs had the last laugh, as they came away 34-24 winners to not only extend their unbeaten run this season to nine matches from nine, but maintain their superiority at the top of the Super Rugby Pacific table.
Chiefs captain Sam Cane said after the match: “The Crusaders have one of the better scrums in the competition so credit to the boys up front, they’ve been putting in a lot of work this season.
“Considering we didn’t have too much possession in that first half, to keep the scoreboard ticking over was a massive part of us getting the job done tonight.”
