Wallaby captain John Eales rates Saturday night's Tri Nations thriller as the most remarkable game of rugby he has ever played in.

Eales, a veteran of three World Cup campaigns, 72 Tests, and Australia's most capped captain, was obviously disappointed after losing the 39-35, but felt privileged to be part of such a great spectacle.

The Wallabies bounced back from a 24-0 deficit to snatch a 27-24 lead before Jonah Lomu scored an injury-time try to give the All Black a 39-25 victory. The game was played before a world record rugby crowd of 109,874.

"I think you would have to go a long, long, long way back in the record books to see a more remarkable game than that," Eales said. "Of all the Test matches I have been involved in or seen, I have never seen anything like that.

"It was a pretty special game to be part of full stop, and I think a very fitting game for a world record crowd. I doubt there's been a better game of rugby played than that, or a more remarkable or extraordinary game than what was played out there tonight and what an occasion to have it on. Obviously we're disappointed we didn't win and the vast majority of the crowd will go home disappointed in that regard, but we're very pleased that they are part of history."

Both sides scored five tries each in what was the highest scoring match ever played between the two great rivals. Some may point an accusing finger at the poor defence, but Eales said the result was more a result of good attacking play.

"The scoreline was a compliment to the attack," Eales said. "It's hard to say without having seen a video of the game, but there was definitely a keenness to keep the ball alive out there tonight and a lot of the tries came from that."