As a kid, one of the great things about the All Blacks touring countries on the other side of the world was the fact that you got to get up in the middle of the night to watch them play. You would stagger into the lounge where a hot chocolate or last night’s leftover pizza would be waiting for you as you settled in to watch the All Blacks take on their opponent in a foreign country that you could only dream of travelling to one day.
And this was no different during June of 1995 at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa. As always, the All Blacks were one of the favourites, but as they reached the semi final against the never to be underestimated English, you couldn’t help but flashback to four years earlier, when they lost to Australia at the same stage of the 1991 tournament. So, the nerves were there!
However, they would be alleviated four minutes into the game when a 20 year old Jonah Lomu collected a loose pass, beat two defenders before turning on his unique Beast Mode ability to steamroll England’s last line of defence, Mike Catt. Most iconic moments in sports have great commentary to accompany it, but Lomu’s effort left veteran commenter Keith Quinn lost for words, further adding to the moment’s legacy. From there it was all All Blacks as they demolished England 45-29 on their way to the final.
If you don't know what I’m talking about, you can relive it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0NLC3uk5xs. Enjoy!
The Beast Mode t-shirt is the perfect gift or just treat yourself! Available in men's, women's and kid's sizes - www.pixeltees.co.nz/collections/rugby