AUCKLAND: He was, as they say, a right mixed bag but Topsy Ojo still had reason to celebrate his test debut on Saturday night.
The Englishman with the Nigerian heritage and the distinctive name had a night to remember as he scored two tries against the All Blacks.
Ojo struggled on defence and England was thrashed 37-20 but the London Irish winger will have every right to remember the night with fondness.
"I've had a little bit of time to think about it. I probably couldn't have asked for a better start to my career, even if we didn't get the result," he said after the game.
"Hopefully, there's a lot more like that to come."
Ojo (22) showed his top-end pace in both tries but the most spectacular was the 85m intercept right on half-time when he pounced on a Dan Carter pass.
"I took the gamble and paid off. Luckily, I had the pace to reach the corner.
"You sort of know you're putting the pressure on the opposition when you make an intercept. I knew I could make a lot of metres and hopefully have some support. Fortunately, I had a clear run to the line."
Ojo, who studies law in his spare time, was then off to catch up with father Akin and brother Babs, who flew to Auckland from London earlier in the week for the game.
While Ojo could not stop smiling, stand-in England coach Rob Andrew was left frustrated at the touring side's ill-disciplined and error-ridden performance.
"We made too many mistakes just before half-time and just after it. We gave the All Blacks too much easy possession and too many easy points," Andrew said.
"Test rugby is brutal and if you make simple mistakes you will be punished. No matter how much hard work you do in other areas, it is hard to come back. That is a lesson for all the players."
