You’d be hard pressed to find a better try-saver than this from the All Blacks star.
All Blacks star Damian McKenzie has produced one of the greatest try-saving tackles ever seen.
The moment occurred in a match between McKenzie’s Chiefs and Australian outfit ACT Brumbies, who finished second and third, respectively, in the regular season. Australian international Tom Wright was seemingly destined for a try as he surged towards the left corner, with McKenzie giving chase. Wright appeared to have dotted down, with commentators and fans all thinking Brumbies had scored, but that wasn’t the case.
In quite remarkable circumstances, the 30-year-old fly-half managed to get his left hand underneath the ball, while simultaneously holding Wright’s hand from angling the ball towards the ground as they slid across the turf.
Everyone inside the stadium thought the try had been scored, before the TMO stopped the celebrations to check the grounding.
After a conversation with the TMO, referee Nick Berry confirmed the ball had not been grounded by Wright, prompting a raucous reaction from both the crowd and commentators.
“No try,” confirmed Berry, laughing in disbelief.
“Even Nic Berry can’t believe it,” said Stan Sport commentator Sean Maloney.
“That’s the biggest cheer of the night,” said the co-commentator. “Look where Damian McKenzie has come from. He made sure Tom Wright wasn’t going to step him on the inside, goes straight for the ball and gets his arm underneath – that’s incredible.”
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Chiefs went on to book their place in the Super Rugby final with a 37-17 victory over Brumbies. McKenzie’s influence on the game extended far beyond this sensational try-saver, kicking 22 points from six penalties and two conversions.
“Outstanding performance from the lads,” said McKenzie after the game.
“The Brumbies come out of the box fast, like we knew they would, and I just love the way we were really composed to stick to our game.
“We put the ball in front of our forwards, and obviously our set piece was great tonight. So when we got into the 22 we managed to come away with points most of the time.”
Despite being known for his attacking flair, McKenzie had shown how important he can be in defence as well. With Richie Mo’unga seemingly out of the picture for the All Blacks – playing in Japan – it seems McKenzie is the front-runner to earn the starting jersey for his country this summer.
The fly-half spent one season in Japan back in 2021, before returning to New Zealand in 2022 ahead of the World Cup the following year. He has recently signed a new contract with New Zealand Rugby and Chiefs until the end of 2029, when he’ll be 34-years-old.
