Hoeata happy with debut outing

A knee strain which forced Jarrad Hoeata from the field in his debut test could not wipe the smile from the Taranaki lock's face after helping the All Blacks to a 60-14 defeat of Fiji in Dunedin last night.

The 27-year-old left the field 15 minutes after the halftime break after tweaking his knee after landing awkwardly in a tackle early in the first half, but the disappointment of being forced from the field was softened by a performance in his first test that he could be proud of.

The 1.95 metre-tall Hoeata was prominent in the match until he was withdrawn and enjoyed a better game than his second row partner Ali Williams who was guilty of trying too much in his return to test rugby after more than two years in the wilderness.

Hoeata said he had a few butterflies before taking to the field as All Black number 1109.

"It was a very proud moment for myself and the family but it was a bit nerve-wracking going into it but once we got the haka and the anthems out of the way then it was all time to go.

"Just feeling all those emotions all kind of hit you at once - it was very special."

The abrasive New Zealand Maori representative said he had noticed a lift in intensity compared to Super rugby but the game itself failed to live up to any great heights.

"The rugby probably wasn't at a great level tonight, it felt a bit like a pre-season game almost, trying to cram all that content into five days and then put it on the pitch, there's always going to be mistakes and things like that but we got through it and got a good win."

He had benefited, he said, from playing with the Maori side in their centenary series in wins over Ireland and England last year which made the step up to test match rugby easier to make.

"The All Blacks are another step up again but playing games like that definitely gives you confidence and knowledge that you can match international teams," he said.

Hoeata who said he was happy with his first performance in the black jersey said team doctor Deb Robinson had looked at his knee and he was hopeful that it would not keep him on the sidelines.

- NZPA