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Thorn 'missed' Bakkies in sunny SA
Sunny Times: Richie McCaw and Brad Thorn celebrate the win in Cape Town
New Zealand trio Brad Thorn, Dan Carter and Conrad Smith all agreed that playing in the sunlight was a welcome change from the late kicks-off back home after their 19-0 win over South Africa in Cape Town on Saturday, while Thorn joked that he missed Bakkies Botha.
Thorn tore a page out of Ali Williams' entertainment textbook when he had the gathered press giggling at the post-match press conference.
"I think we were separated at birth. He's a real handsome guy like me," joked Thorn when asked if he missed the ever-aggressive South Africa lock.
"They crowd gave me a bit of love too," quipped Thorn when commenting on his celebration post Carter-try celebrations.
"It's all a bit of fun in footy. At my age it's all about enjoyment.
"The atmosphere was awesome, when we did the haka [the crowd] were all banging on their drums, you know it's what you dream about."
While Thorn said that he was a bit disappointed with his own performance, he agreed that the All Blacks' line-out had improved over the course of the Tri-Nations.
"We've really tried to take pride in our line-out. We've been working really hard in training and it's paying off for us," he said.
"We first came together only a week after the Super 14 Final and a week later we were playing Ireland.
"A lot of the guys in the side didn't know each other and we were struggling.
"But that builds, after seven or eight games in an All Black season to start to get a feel for each other. You necessarily talk to the gut next to you, it just a feeling he'll know [where you are].
"Time together is really important for the forwards, the same goes for the scrums."
Smith, who scored his side's opening try, joined his team-mates in commenting on how enjoyable it was to play in the dry conditions of a sunny South Africa afternoon.
"It's so refreshing to be able to play [during the day]," said the All Black centre.
"When you get a day like this and it's a night game, the dew sets in and you might as well be playing in a bit of rain.
"I love coming over here, even in the Super 14 you get a lot of day games.
"It's a great experience, especially for the outside backs because you see a lot more of the ball."
