Chiefs lock Brodie Retallick reckons his coach Dave Rennie may have got a bit over excited when he described his All Blacks second rower as the best lock in the world.
It would be hard to argue against Rennie though as Retallick has been immense for both the All Blacks and the Chiefs in recent weeks.
He was the driving force in an outstanding all-round Chiefs forward effort in their 24-16 win against the Hurricanes in Hamilton on Friday.
Having topped his side's tackle count with 12 tackles and starred in the lineouts, Retallick capped his stellar performance with the match-sealing try that showed his athleticism and speed.
But Rennie's high praise has left the 23-year-old feeling a little abashed.
"I think Rens might have got a bit excited about the win after the game and has blown it up a wee bit," the second-rower said.
"I suppose it's always good that he's rating you highly. I guess it means a start at the weekend if he thinks that of you which is always a positive."
The key for Retallick and the rest of the Chiefs forwards is to bring the same intensity, physicality and accuracy they showed against the Hurricanes into another must-win Super Rugby match against the Blues at Eden Park on Friday night.
Retallick knows it will be the very least they need against a pack that pounded the Crusaders and which could contain up to six All Blacks, including up-and-coming lock Patrick Tuipulotu and resurgent loose forward Jerome Kaino.
"The game is probably going to be won or lost on what pack can dominate for the longest period of time," Retallick said.
"For the pack to perform like it did on Friday night for pretty much the whole 80 minutes was something we've been looking for all season."
The 27-Test lock felt much of that success came down to attitude and the fact the Chiefs needed to win to keep their title defence alive.
"We'd probably gone into our shells a little bit when we had a few losses and maybe the confidence in our skills and what we're doing started to fade a bit," he said.
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