'Easy fuel': All Blacks captain Scott Barrett puts a target on Ireland

All Blacks captain Scott Barrett has put on a target on Ireland’s number one world ranking ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster clash in Dublin.

The recent history between the two sides has ballooned the contest into the game’s premier rivalry with Ireland winning five of the last nine matches in emotional circumstances.

Look no further than last year’s World Cup quarter-final where the All Blacks and Rieko Ioane gave Johnny Sexton’s Ireland side a send off.

“It was one of the great matches at the World Cup last year, for us we know what Ireland are going to turn up with,” Barrett told media on Thursday.

“That’s a willingness to play and they’ll be looking to put us under pressure and vice versa.

“We certainly know it’s going to be an 80-minute effort, we’ve seen some great matches in the past, often going past the 80 minutes. We’ve certainly touched on how big the occasion is.”

Barrett was on the pitch in Chicago when Ireland made history eight years ago, which he credits as the beginning of Ireland’s rise to the top of the global game.

Although Ireland’s 17-Test winning streak came to an end at the hands of the All Blacks, Andy Farrell’s side have since re-claimed the number one ranking after a drawn series with South Africa in the summer.

Both Scott Robertson and captain Barrett have made it clear that Ireland’s number one ranking is in the All Blacks’ sights.

“Ireland have been right up there, not just the last few years, I think for the last 10 years they’ve been leading the way in a lot of areas,” he said.

“Us as All Blacks, we like to be in the picture in terms of the world number one. That’s a crown they’ve got at the moment and we want to play them at home.

“What more could you want then playing Ireland at home.”

Johnny Sexton airing his dirty laundry between himself and star centre Rieko Ioane in his new autobiography has sparked a furore of excitement with fans and media ahead of the latest showdown.

On whether their is bad blood between the two sides after the Ioane spat, Barrett said emotions boil over so restraint is needed.

However, he said the pain of the 2022 home series defeat was “easy fuel” for the All Blacks last year, harnessing the emotion for good.

“I guess there’s a lot of feeling and two teams that want to get a result so, at times emotions can boil over and you’ve just got to be accurate with your game, and not after the whistle,” he said.

“There’s always a lot at stake and even more so against Ireland who potentially have had some success over us in past years.

“Last year’s game at the World Cup, there was a lot of guys hurt by the series loss in 2022 back home, that was easy fuel and you are at a World Cup where everything is heightened.

“We love playing the big games, the All Blacks, it’s high pressure and what Test rugby is all about.”