Brodie Retallick poised for uniquely historic outing at Twickenham

Brodie Retallick is in line for an especially historic night when the All Black lock runs out at Twickenham this weekend, as he will not only be making his 100th appearance for the team but also breaking the record for the most experienced locking partnership in history.

The Twickenham test will mark the 64th game Retallick and Sam Whitelock have started alongside one another, a partnership spanning all ten of Retallick’s years with the team.

The North Canterbury-born lock will become the twelfth All Black centurion and told the media that at this point in his career, he’s familiar with the routine and celebrations that come with the milestone.

“There’s eleven players have done it and I’ve probably been around for nine,” Retallick said. “So I’ve seen how special it is and how cool of a moment it is for not only the player but their family so yea, looking forward to it.”

Retallick’s wife and two children will join him at Twickenham on Saturday to celebrate the occasion.

Injuries, overseas contracts and most recently a suspension have prolonged the wait to 100 caps, but along the way Retallick has racked up a remarkable resume, including the 2015 Rugby World Cup trophy and the 2014 World Rugby Player of the Year award.

“It’s certainly taken its time a little bit, at the back end compared to the first 50 but I’m proud and it’s awesome to still be here and still be able to represent the country and the jersey.”

Retallick and Whitelock’s partnership is poised to outlast the notorious South African pairing of Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield, players Retallick says he “looked up to and saw a lot of when I was younger”.

As for the recipe for the All Blacks pairing’s success, Retallick said “it’s probably hard to put one thing.”

“I guess Sam, he’s… 140-odd games, he knows what he’s doing and he’s got a wealth of experience and I guess when I came into the team he’d been there for three or four years so I was just always trying to push him and be competitive and probably at the start, trying to take his jersey I suppose.

“In hindsight, we’ve played a lot together and I guess it’s a relationship that I cherish a lot.

“He’s a farmer and a hunter, and I don’t do too much of that these days. But we definitely get on.”

“He runs the lineout, we often talk a little bit about what we’re seeing there but normally just trying to catch my breath.”

The match at hand will be the All Blacks’ final of the year and Retallick said the team were keen to round out a “rollercoaster” of a year on a positive note, by any means necessary.

“A win’s a win and you’d rather play bad and get a win than play well and lose, but we’ve been looking for some consistency.

“We’re looking to put it all together after the last couple of weeks and finish our year on a high.”