Talk about a cool customer. Zac Guildford, still three months short of his 21st birthday, dozed off to sleep just a few hours before the biggest rugby match of his life.

And he capped an excellent test debut at Millennium Stadium last night with a crucial slap-down of a pass by Welsh lock Alun-Wyn Jones, who had dashed 50m in the dying minutes to put the hosts in sight of a late draw.

It was all in a day's work for the Hawke's Bay flyer, who soaked up the electric atmosphere and showed he was ready for more on this European tour after the All Blacks' 19-12 win.

"It was awesome, the singing and stuff like that. We wanted to shut the crowd up, but we let them get into the game," he said.

"I fed off it, it was really exciting to hear them singing, 75,000 people go nuts, it was awesome. I'm keen as, now, I want to play as much as I can."

Guildford said nerves were not a huge issue as he drifted into dreamland for 90 minutes, just before the team bus left for the ground two hours before kickoff.

But it was anxious times in the dying minutes when Jones intercepted Jimmy Cowan's pass and lumbered upfield with no one in front of him.

"It was my first test, I saw him get the intercept and I thought I wasn't going to go down in my first test.

"He was never going to get away from me. It might have been a different story if it was Shane Williams, I had a fair bit of ground to make up."

Guildford looked dangerous with ball in hand and made several telling bursts, and was also safe under the high ball amid a solid back three of Cory Jane and Mils Muliaina.

His late father, Rob, also loomed large in his thoughts, the 44-year-old having died in the stands while Guildford was starring for the New Zealand under-20 team in Tokyo in June.

"In the changing room as I was putting on my jersey, and during the national anthem, I think of him all the time and he just adds to the motivation."

Coach Graham Henry hailed his newest All Black, No 1097 on the official list.

With first-choice winger Sitiveni Sivivatu returning from a one-match suspension it gives the selectors some tough choices to hand the rising star Guildford more game time.

"I think he should be very pleased with his first test. He was composed out there and enjoyed the occasion," Henry said.

"He made good decisions when he had the ball and was good under the high ball, and he saved us at the finish with that intercept. He had a big game for a young fellow."