To be fair to Thrush, he emptied his tank and gave it all he had - but the intensity and pace of the game were just that little bit too much for him.
Thrush is a good player: Retallick a great player and that became important as the contest went on. Eben Etzebeth and Victor Matfield were able to set up their beloved driving mauls and win possession as they wanted.
Etzebeth in particular was able to snarl and push and shove in a way he might not have done had Retallick been on the field. And Etzebeth and Matfield were able to disrupt the All Black lineout and spread panic through the ranks from there.
It made for a painful opening half hour for the All Blacks. "We struggled to secure clean lineout ball and they really put us under pressure at the contact," says Jerome Kaino. "Those two were the main things but we were just half a step off the pace."
What was more of a surprise was how much the All Blacks missed Daniel Carter. It's been a while since Carter was without injury and at his best, but when he is, he's a player who makes all the difference. He's a more developed player than Aaron Cruden and that little bit more comfortable with the responsibility of running the gameplan.
Barrett isn't to blame for the defeat and nor did he play badly.
Carter most likely would have nailed double try-scorer Handrie Pollard before he was able to dot down on either occasion. Carter, even though it was on the wrong side of the field for his left boot, would have most likely nailed that last conversion to push the All Blacks three points in front and change the complexion of the chase for the Boks.
But the biggest thing Carter would most likely have done is give the All Blacks more authority with their general play. That's the beauty of having a first-five with 100 test caps - he exudes calm and with it, a sense of confidence.
In the first 40 minutes the All Blacks needed a strong No 10 to better use what ball they had: to instil a bit of confidence and patience and sacrifice some of the pace for accuracy.
The All Blacks needed Carter's booming left boot and eerily good decision-making. He might have steadied the ship earlier.
...missing All Blacks
Not to make excuses ... because it hadn't been an issue until yesterday, but the All Blacks were missing some highly experienced players.
Tony Woodcock 110 tests
The veteran loosehead prop required shoulder surgery after a gruelling Super Rugby season and missed the whole Rugby Championship.
Dan Carter 100 tests
The All Blacks' first-choice first-five fractured his leg in the Super Rugby final and has also missed the entire Rugby Championship.
Ma'a Nonu 94 tests
Nonu broke his arm during the first half of the All Blacks test against South Africa last month, requiring an operation to have a plate inserted.
Aaron Cruden 35 tests
Cruden paid the price for a late-night boozing session after he missed the All Blacks' flight to Argentina and was cut from the touring squad.
Brodie Retallick 32 tests
One of the most inexperienced players the All Blacks missed, but likely the most important. Retallick lost the battle to recover from concussion after receiving a head injury in the All Blacks' win over Argentina one week ago.
Wyatt Crockett 32 tests
The loosehead prop received a bad cut under his eye which required stitches following the All Blacks' win over Argentina last weekend and was unable to recover in time.
