Sean Fitzpatrick on the moment Ardie Savea drew him into the anthem

Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick has described the moment current captain Ardie Savea pulled him into the team's line for the national anthem at Ellis Park, an honour he admits caught him completely off guard - one of the standout moments from the latest episode of Inside The Black Jersey, New Zealand Rugby's new podcast hosted by Brad Weber and George Harper Jr.

Fitzpatrick was in Johannesburg to mark 30 years since the All Blacks' famous 1996 series win in South Africa, presenting the pre-match trophy alongside Gary Teichmann, his Springboks counterpart from that tour, before the occasion turned personal.

"It was a little bit awkward, I must say," Fitzpatrick said. "We'd been briefed about what we were doing. Gary Teichmann carried his half of the trophy, I carried mine. Then we went up some pretty rickety stairs - I was a bit nervous about that, and then worried about the trophy falling off the plinth."

He said the plan then changed. "The next brief was that we were now going to hold our national flags for the national anthem. So I thought, okay, that's pretty cool."

WATCH: Sean Fitzpatrick talks about the special moment with Ardie Savea on Inside the Black Jersey

What followed took him by surprise. "Then the All Blacks came and lined up next to me, and I'm thinking, oh my God, this is awkward - what do I do now? And then Ardie put his arm around me. I must say that was like, wow. I felt very honoured. It was just a really special moment."

Fitzpatrick, capped 92 times for the All Blacks, said the moment carried extra weight given where he was standing. "The last time I stood there like that was 1995, or '96 even," he said. "It was just a wonderful moment. And then to be looking at all the support staff, the guys that hadn't stripped, that were on the sideline also - that was amazing."

Asked whether he was tempted to join the haka himself, Fitzpatrick was adamant it wasn't his place. "I don't think so. No, definitely not," he said. "I was quite happy just to walk off and then go and watch a great test match, as we saw."

The All Blacks went on to beat the Springboks 33-16 at Ellis Park, moving 1-0 up in the series ahead of the second Test in Cape Town this weekend. Fitzpatrick's full interview - along with George Bower's breakdown of the front-row battle - is available now on Inside The Black Jersey, New Zealand Rugby's new podcast taking fans behind the scenes with the All Blacks.