Tongan-born Ma’u, officially All Blacks no 1242, said he just hoped he made his family proud before he broke down in tears.
“Thank you to the heavenly Father for you know the blessings that he gave me to wear the black jersey and obviously my friends and family back home, my partner, Nia, mum and dad. Just grateful for the coaching staff, for the All Blacks giving me a chance to represent my family, my friends and my village back home. Hopefully I made them proud.
“It is a dream come true,” he added.
On the status of his first All Blacks jersey, the 26-year-old said he would be holding onto it.
“Probably going to sleep with it tonight,” he joked. “No, going to keep it in a safe place”.
Cameron McMillan has been a sports journalist since 2003 and is NZME’s Deputy Head of Sport.