KEY POINTS:
It was not the preparation Jimmy Cowan needed for his second test start.
The All Black halfback woke a number of times on the eve of the Bledisloe Cup because of pain in his left knee and then endured the longest wait he could ever remember before he pulled on his work kit at Eden Park.
The worries did not stop there for the 26-year-old who felt a twinge or two in his damaged knee during the pre-match warm-ups though he later admitted that discomfort disappeared in the intensity of the 39-10 victory.
Cowan made his All Black test debut four years ago when he came on as a substitute against Italy in Rome but before Saturday he had made a solitary international start in the All Black jersey. That was in Rustenburg, near Sun City in South Africa, two years ago, where he and a number of other All Blacks had modest performances in the 20-21 defeat which was the side's only loss that season.
The halfback was then cast into a backup role and had only got on to the field in 14 tests until sent into battle on Saturday night.
It has been a turbulent season off the park for Cowan who has had several run-ins with the law because of his behaviour when out drinking. He faced an internal NZRU disciplinary committee, was fined and warned that he had run out of chances.
Andy Ellis pipped him for the test starts and after Ellis damaged his ribs last week in the opening Bledisloe Cup match in Sydney, Cowan also suffered leg and facial injuries. The selectors decreed one would start Saturday's second Bledisloe Cup match and the other would stand down to allow Piri Weepu to be on the reserve bench.
Cowan won that opening duel though he was only able to train on the two days immediately preceding the return test.
"It is hard to speak for anyone else but that was a relief for me," Cowan said after Saturday's victory. "I felt a lot of pressure during the week. We had our backs against the wall, there was pressure all week and it shows what wounded All Blacks can do."
Asked about his own damage, Cowan paused. He did not want to make any pleas about his condition. But the test was over, the All Blacks had returned to the winners' circle, he could confess his damaged knee had blown up on the eve of the test.
He was able to keep the drama to himself though because his roommate Leon MacDonald had flown home during the week because of ongoing concussion problems.
"I was worried about it, I was up every couple of hours because I had a heavy workload on Thursday and Friday and it flared up a bit. I kept it to myself with some icing and a couple of pills and that seemed to do the trick."
However, when Cowan took to the field for the warm-ups, his knee did not feel totally comfortable. He was a shade apprehensive but any pain disappeared as soon as the test started.
Cowan agreed he had repaid some of the faith the selectors had shown him during this difficult season but also said Saturday was about his response, "doing myself proud and realising I am good enough to be here".
The All Blacks intend taking three halfbacks to South Africa for their solitary Tri-Nations test at Cape Town on August 17, a trip which may see Cowan get another chance to further both personal and team redemption after his stirring display on Saturday.
