NRL: Miracle matchwinner from Melbourne's Xavier Coates over NZ Warriors even has rugby greats awestruck

You know you're doing something right, when your opposition can't stop talking about you.

Everyone, it seems, across both rugby codes, is still awestruck by the miracle matchwinner by Melbourne Storm winger Xavier Coates over NZ Warriors on the weekend.

With his trailling by two points in the final seconds, Coates leapt at the corner flag and somehow grounded the ball in goal, before landing out of bounds. 

Former All Black Jeff Wilson is incredulous over Xavier Coates' try against the Warriors.
Former All Black Jeff Wilson is incredulous over Xavier Coates' try against the Warriors. Photo credit: Breakdown/Getty Images

Every week, the NRL produces these tries, but this was still special, regardless of which team or which sport you support.

Some of our greatest All Blacks tryscorers can only marvel at the athleticism on display in the other game.

"I've been watching, obviously, rugby league and rugby," Former Warriors winger Sir John Kirwan told Sky's Breakdown. "They must be practising it, because I don't think you can do that without practising it - that's incredible." 

"Can you imagine us back in the day, turning up and practising that with our coaches?" All Blacks centurion Mils Muliaina wondered. "They'd be going, 'What the heck are these showponies?' 

"Now it's an actual skill." 

Rugby-cricket double international Jeff Wilson argues the corner flag used to be part of touch.

"The game has changed," he said. "The number of times, when we were playing, you were thinking to yourself, 'How do I not hit the corner post?', because it was out.

"It hurt as well, because it was stuck in the ground. I would love to have had that opportunity - it would have helped me on a couple of occasions too."

Wilson thinks there is one current Super Rugby player capable of scoring such a try...

"Salesi Rayasi of the Hurricanes would be the one," he said. "He's a basketballer, big hands, athlete - he could absolutely do that."