“I’ve seen it in basketball when someone hits a milestone and they stop the game. When they did that tonight, it was awesome. Just seeing how far I’ve come, it’s a very special moment.
“I’ll make the most of it because I know Julian Savea is right behind me. Let’s just hope he doesn’t score three tries tomorrow night.”
Savea, who has 63 career tries, briefly held the record last year before Perenara eclipsed him.
Reece admits he would’ve liked to have broken the record in a different fashion but he was happy to have gone top in front of a home crowd.
The 28-year-old knew he got the ball over the line but wasn’t sure initially if it was knocked out of his hands before getting to the ground.
“I would have loved like a nice dive in the corner try or like a runaway try, but a try is a try,” said Reece.
“I hadn’t scored one for a few weeks, then I got one last week, which felt good, and again tonight.
“If anything, a special place to do it here at home in Christchurch, in front of family, friends and the awesome supporters we have here.”
Now Reece has the record, he has his sights set on breaking more.
“It’s awesome scoring tries, but like I said before, at the start of the year I didn’t even think about it,” said Reece.
“Once I got closer, it became a goal to chase. Now I’m here, but it doesn’t stop.
“I’ll keep trying and pushing to see how far we can go. One hundred shouldn’t be too far away either.”
The win over the Highlanders lifts the Crusaders to the top of the standings, although they can be overtaken by the Chiefs if they beat Moana Pasifika tonight.
The Crusaders face the Brumbies, who are currently second, in the final round of the regular season before the playoffs.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.
