This will sting for years to come.
New Zealand trailed for only three minutes of three whole Test matches and still could only manage to draw their series with the Lions. Chances were squandered. Winning positions were squandered. A sense of injustice festered. For Kieran Read, it was tough to take.
On consecutive weekends, the All Blacks led 18-9 and 12-6 against the Lions and couldn’t finish them off. The lost in Wellington and drew in Eden Park to share the series and walk away with a sense of ‘what if’.
Rugby is the national past-time, passion and obsession in New Zealand.
When it comes to rugby, Kiwis live to win. That they failed to do so will grate and gnaw Read for the rest of his days. He is taking this one personally.
Post-match, the All Blacks captain confessed:
“It’s heart-wrenching, to be honest. It’s certainly not what we came here to do.”
“I don’t know what to feel,” he added, “it’s a funny one. Potentially, maybe it was the right result for the series. Both teams played really well in patches.”
Media duties just about done, he headed back to the New Zealand dressing room with a silver cap perched on his head. His reward for 100 Test caps. His reminder too.
Footage of Read entering the room is a poignant watch. Hard too. He stalks in and no-one speaks. No-one approaches him as he takes his seat and his head tips back. He can surely see the missed chances; replaying them in his mind’s eye.
Eventually approached by the camera crew, Read admits the draw feels like a loss. “We tried so hard. We worked really hard but… it didn’t come off for us tonight.
“Oh, there will be frustrations that’ll creep into it but it’s one of those ones, you know, a draw is just like an empty feeling I guess.”
He smiles as he says the words but you can see the pain etched in his face; his eyes.
He is a great player and spoke like a true captain after a tough Test Series. One hopes he does not catch too much flak from the local press.
One hopes he can look back one day and realise he played a huge part in an epic, enthralling contest.
