It might be some time before Reece Hodge stops thinking about that kick.
The Wallabies long-range marksman stepped up to the tee with the chance to give the Australians a three-point lead in the dying stages of Sunday's opening Bledisloe Cup test. Five metres inside his own half with theadded challenge of a swirling Wellington wind, and with time up on the clock, Hodge struck to ball superbly and watched as it sailed toward the posts - only to see it hit the right upright and bounce away.
There were no other scoring moments that followed the kick, and the match ended 16-all.
"It was a bit of a broken sleep last night. I probably replayed it hundreds of times by now," Hodge said of the penalty goal attempt.
"You can't really trust the wind in Wellington so I aimed just inside the left post and it turns out just outside the left post would have been a little better. But I struck it as well as I could and was just praying when it was in the air.
"The boys got around me last night, but it didn't help my sleep too much.
"I was pretty confident in the distance, obviously the wind is a different story, and anytime you get a chance and feel confident, why not step up and have a crack? It's part of my job I guess and when it's in my range it's just something you have to step up and do, and have the confidence you'll knock it over."
While many saw the result as a win for the Wallabies, who came into the game with plenty of inexperience in their squad, that wasn't the case within the camp. The Wallabies came to New Zealand knowing they needed to win three of four games to reclaim the Bledisloe Cup.
With the draw, they will need to win two of the next three. The next game will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday – a venue where the Wallabies have not beaten the All Blacks at since a 22-9 triumph in 1986.
"We definitely had our chances to win that game...there's a lot of disappointment," Hodge said.
"You don't get over something like that within 24 hours. I think it's going to be lingering at the start of the week but our job now is to prepare well for Auckland next Sunday. Disappointment will hopefully turn to excitement and anticipation ahead of game two."
