London: New Zealand winger Julian Savea’s remarkable second score of his hat-trick in the 62-13 thrashing of France in the World Cup quarter-finals was voted Try of the Tournament by television viewers on Friday.
It was Savea’s savage aggression that made the try so special as he smashed three big French tacklers aside to score in the left corner.
Savea attracted 29 per cent of the vote held by British host broadcaster ITV during Friday’s third-place play-off, when South Africa beat Argentina.
All Blacks hero Dan Carter has admitted that he and hulking lock Ali Williams “like to dress up” in comic-book costumes, though coach Steve Hansen said the fly-half was assured of All Black superhero status regardless of the result in Rugby World Cup final.
He seemed positively relieved when asked if he still collected superhero costumes.
“Yeah, it sounds a bit weird but (former All Black) Ali Williams and I like to dress up and I started a collection of pretty much every superhero costume there is,” Carter said, earning a raised eyebrow from the usually poker-faced Hansen.
Carter explained that his collection eventually went to a friend after his wife demanded space in the wardrobe for his first child’s clothes.
Asked which was his favourite, he mulled it over before selecting his first, The Phantom - a mainstay of American comics, newspaper strips and TV for almost 80 years.
The diversion offered some light relief for Carter, who was clearly uncomfortable with talk of the fairy-tale aspect of his international swansong against arch rivals Australia. After much talk of it being all about the team, he eventually cracked when he considered how his 2011 tournament ended, sidelined by a groin injury after two pool games.
“There were moments there I thought it might be the end,” he said. “... Immediately after (2011) I was pretty devastated, but knew I still had a lot to add to New Zealand rugby, which is why I signed a new contract immediately.
“In the back of my mind in 2011 was to give myself a chance of a another World Cup. It was pretty far-fetched to look that far ahead, so it’s great to be here.”
