Wynne Gray's 50 greatest rugby moments: No.37

John Timu performs an haka before an All Blacks test.

After John Gallagher left, the All Blacks struggled to find someone to fill the attacking ideas they wanted from fullback.

Both men they picked for the 1991 World Cup were intriguing choices with Terry Wright better-known as a lethal finishing wing for Auckland while Shayne Philpott was a utility back for Canterbury.

Wright was preferred for the first three tests against England , USA and Italy but damged his leg in the last pool game and was replaced by Philpott who also injured his leg.

A replacement was needed and traditional fullback Kieran Crowley, who had played 34 games and 18 tests including Argentina earlier in the year, was called up. The long-haul flight from New Zealand left him too jaded and he was overlooked for the black No 15 jersey at Stade du Nord, in Lille, when the All Blacks played their quarterfinal against Canada.

Some thought was given to trying the broad skills of Jon Preston or Bernie McCahill at fullback before the Alex Wyllie and John Hart agreed on another idea.

John Timu, the exciting young wing from Otago via Hawkes Bay, was asked to start his fourth test in wet and wild conditions which hit the northern French city for the quarterfinal.

He had played the occasional game at fullback at Lindisfarne College in the Hawkes Bay but made his reputation as a lethal finishing wing for Otago who was also a robust defender. Timu was only 22 but seemed to cope with all the high-pressure matches.

The coaches knew Timu was safe under any high ball, a strong defender, had a useful kicking game and plenty of speed to link up on attack with his three-quarters. The only concern was about his positional play in such awkward conditions.

His try-scoring instincts were invaluable when he scored his first try while his second ended in a spectacular three-metre slide through pools of water to seal the All Blacks 29-13 victory.

Timu ran 40m down the touchline before launching into an extravagant dive, to surf across the line. He thought he might have dived too soon and some of the crowd thought he cut the touchline but the try stood; the All Blacks were on their way to a semifinal in Dublin.