All Blacks v Ireland takes: Local favourite delivers, Ireland behind the eight-ball

With Eden Park’s record on the line, Ireland entered the contest in solid form, also winning their two Nations Championship fixtures as they looked to beat the All Blacks in Auckland.

The home side started strongly, leading 14-0 in the opening half hour before Ireland hit back through Jack Conan with Luke Jacobson in the bin.

Both teams held each other out defensively in the second half, but the All Blacks managed to keep their cool in the final quarter to go three-from-three under Dave Rennie.

Here are some takeaways from Eden Park.

The start, at last!

But, thankfully for Rennie’s men, the Ireland Test was different. The home side opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Blues lock Patrick Tuipulotu. It was a great move, backed by the All Blacks forwards using their power up front. Then, in the 22nd minute, they backed their scrum and turned down three points from right out in front.

The battle of the two No.10’s

Saturday evening was a mixed bag for Sam Prendergast, while Ruben Love had yet another mature performance, without setting the world on fire.

The game didn’t pan out the way Ireland wanted too, which does help to explain their No.10’s outing.

The Ireland No.10, playing in a quarterback role during the first half, had limited opportunities to run the ball and reverted largely to shifting the ball to his forward pack. The Leinster first-five didn’t kick overly much during the first half, but the whole squad struggled to gain any momentum in the contest.

The Hurricanes first-five left the field early in the second-half with what looked like a lower leg injury, but he played a solid part in a few All Blacks tries on the night.

In an odd decision, or lack of execution, the Ireland first-five went for a spiral kick after his defence earned a hard-fought penalty close to their own line. His kick, which went nowhere near the touchline, gifted the All Blacks back possession.

Home patch Tuipulotu

The All Blacks have clearly missed a strong ball carrier in the opening two Nations Championship fixtures, which is what the Blues captain brought to the Eden Park contest.

Pick-and-go’s, quick fingertip passes, and more. Tuipulotu changed the direction of the attack on multiple occasions, banging down the front door when Ireland thought the ball might shift.

Sam Darry was unlucky to miss out against Ireland; his first two performances warranted another shot, but his replacement took his chance, making 13 carries in his stint on the field.