Brodie Retallick has revealed the “one thing” he wished he had done better during a career which has seen him go down as one of the best players of his generation.

The former All Blacks lock was a key part of the 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning side and also started in the 2023 final, which was the 35-year-old’s last game for his country.

Retallick is now playing in Japan where he is winding down his career, forgoing the opportunity to represent New Zealand ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

Retallick’s regret

Many still believe that the second-row is more than good enough to add to his 109 caps but the former Chiefs star is very happy with what he has achieved during his career, despite ruing a single aspect of it.

“The one thing I kind of regret about my career is that while I appreciated it, in the moment I wish I had appreciated it more – the calibre of players and people I got to play with,” he told the Sportscafe Legends podcast.

“As you know in rugby, people move on and end up in different parts of the world in different teams, and you don’t always hear from them.

“In that moment and some of those guys, they are memories that last forever. Exceptional athletes and people, and a pretty special environment at times.”

Retallick was part of one of the best teams to have ever graced the sport in the 2015 All Blacks. That team contained a number of legends, including the player that regularly partnered him in the second-row in Sam Whitelock.

They formed one of the great combinations and the Kobe Steelers forward revealed what kept them at the top of the sport.

“He had been in the All Blacks for two or three seasons before I arrived and he set the benchmark. My mindset around rugby was I just wanted to win the battles and be the best I could,” Retallick said.

“I guess we just tried to outdo each other in a great, friendly and team-mate way, but it would keep pushing you to be better and do things differently, and try things.

“I found as I got older, finding ways to be better or the competition was what kept driving me to want to play the game the best I could.”

Retirement question

Retallick plans to see out the final two years of his Kobe contract before he will make a decision on his future. The lock does not know whether to stay in the game, but he has hobbies outside of the sport.

“I feel like I do know pretty much who I am. I suppose the car community and my enjoyment and love of cars, a lot of friends don’t even care about rugby, they just want to talk about motors and what car they’re trying to buy which I’ve always found refreshing, just to get away from rugby,” he said.

“Probably the thing I will miss the most when I do hang up the boots is the competitiveness of going to training and trying to outdo someone, or see how far you can push yourself in a running session.

“You see plenty of people hang up the boots and try to run marathons, and do crazy stuff like that, but I can’t see myself doing that.

“I will have to find a way of still having that competitiveness in my life.”