KEY POINTS:
After "eating grass" since he bolted into the All Blacks squad, John Schwalger was delighted to flop down on it at Waikato Stadium, ball under arm, comfortably inside the flag in the right hand corner.
Given the 24-year-old's meteoric rise through the ranks to test football it was perhaps hardly surprising it took a mere 25 minutes to score his maiden try - one of 10 the All Blacks racked up during their predictable 64-13 defeat of Canada.
It took Carl Hayman 32 tests before he experienced the joy of dotting down at Twickenham last year - his fellow front row fixture Tony Woodcock, 29 caps and counting, is still waiting to be congratulated by his teammates.
For Schwalger, the Wellington and Hurricanes rookie, it all came rather easily as he was loafing out on the wing to take a Luke McAlister pass and collapse unimpeded over the chalk.
The distance he covered may be exaggerated with the passing of time but for now Schwalger was just happy to make a contribution after waiting since his surprise selection as a prop capable of covering both sides.
"I was just happy to be in the right place really," said Schwalger, who has had a battle with his weight.
After steering his considerable bulk around to good effect, the specialist loosehead admitted All Blacks management had been vindicated in weeding out junk food from his diet.
"I'd been complaining, just to myself you know, about eating grass - but you see the benefits of it when you're running around the field."
There were certainly no stamina concerns as he lasted the full 80 minutes, proving a consistently powerful presence.
Four times the All Blacks turned over scrum feeds, occasionally squeezing so tight that hooker Pat Riordan was unable to strike at the ball.
For Schwalger, his scrummaging performance was more satisfying than the try - though he will wait for an expert appraisal on his technique.
"Mike Cron [All Blacks scrum coach] has been doing a lot of work with me on binding, hitting ... where to place your feet. Hopefully whenever we do the review I did all right."
Naturally the amiable giant, who is listed at 118kg but confesses he jumped off the scales without looking, will retain plenty of special memories after becoming All Black number 1070.
"Some of the guys told me it [his debut] would hit me when the national anthem was played, I said 'sweet as'.
"They were right. I felt a tear coming down - I had to blink to get rid of it - I didn't want to cry on national television."
His first test jersey, far from being bound for Canada, will be framed and hung on the bedroom wall of two year-old daughter Phoenix.
- NZPA
