There probably aren’t many tougher ways to make your senior professional debut.
Twenty-year-old Yaqeen Ahmed had just helped South Africa win the World Rugby U20 Championship when he was handed the Stormers No.10 jersey for their historic first-ever match against the All Blacks.
Standing opposite him in Cape Town?
Beauden Barrett.
144 All Blacks caps. Two-time World Rugby Player of the Year. More than a decade playing at the highest level.
It was one of the most interesting match-ups of the night. A young first-five getting his first taste of senior rugby against one of the players who has defined the position for a generation.
And from our little corner of Dunedin, there was another detail we couldn’t help noticing.
Both of them were kicking off Rugby Bricks kicking tees.
Two very different journeys
For Ahmed, Saturday was another huge step in what has already been a rapid rise.
Only weeks earlier he'd been one of the standout players in the Junior Springboks' U20 World Championship win, including a perfect night from the tee in the final against France.
Against the All Blacks, he looked remarkably comfortable for a player making his senior Stormers debut.
He converted both of the Stormers' tries and wasn't afraid to use his boot around the field, including an attempted drop goal just before halftime.
At the other end of the experience spectrum was Barrett.
After returning to the All Blacks No.10 jersey, he added three conversions of his own as New Zealand eventually pulled away late to win 38–21.
The scoreboard tells one story.
For us, the kicking tee told another.
Built for wherever your kicking takes you
When Rugby Bricks started, the goal was to build kicking products good enough for players who genuinely care about getting better.
Sometimes that means a young kicker staying out after training trying to add another five metres to their range.
Sometimes it's a 20-year-old making his professional debut against the All Blacks.
And sometimes it's one of the most experienced international first-fives in the history of the game.
Seeing Ahmed and Barrett line up opposite each other was a pretty special reminder of how far Rugby Bricks has travelled.
Different countries.
Different generations.
Very different stages of their careers.
Same obsession with the craft.
And the same Rugby Bricks tee underneath the ball.
Outwork. Outlearn.