Aaron Cruden has admitted that his match-winning conversion for New Zealand against Ireland was the biggest kick of his life.
The fly-half was given a second chance to add the vital extras following a last-gasp Ryan Crotty try to give the All Blacks a 24-22 win in Dublin on Sunday to complete an unbeaten 2013.
"I was pretty stoked to get a second opportunity," Cruden told reporters. "My kicking style didn't change throughout the game so you would have thought they would be aware of my set-up and that little stutter I do to calm myself.
"It was a shame they charged early but for us, it was great to have another chance and see it go over. The fact we can produce a comeback like that, it says so much about this team, and the All Blacks' ability to produce when it matters most.
"You can sense runners coming as you line up the kick but you're trying to stay focused on the task. But I was pretty stoked to get a second crack at it. I suppose it was a reprieve, I just wanted to stay focused, stay in my rhythm and strike the ball well. And I was pretty happy to see the flags go up after I'd kicked it.
"I would say that is the biggest kick of my life. I don't think it comes down to the kick: with 30 seconds to go we were able to get a penalty and launch an attack. We stayed to our game plan, identify space on the left and get over in the corner. There was a lot of work done previous to that that helped get into the history books."
New Zealand have now won every game in 2013.
