Ireland claim historic New Zealand series win as pressure mounts on All Blacks
For the first time in history, Ireland have beaten the All Blacks in back-to-back tests to claim a breakthrough series victory on New Zealand soil.
Beating the Kiwis in a match for the ages at Sky Stadium in Wellington, Ireland have cemented themselves as one of rugby’s heavyweight nations, putting the All Blacks to the sword in a first half beating the New Zealanders couldn’t recover from.
As such, their 32-22 win will now surely put New Zealand Rugby [NZR] under immense pressure to reconsider the position of All Blacks head coach Ian Foster and his assistants as their side falls into one of their worst ruts in recent history.
For the first time since 1998, the All Blacks have been beaten in successive test matches at home, leading to just their third-ever series defeat in New Zealand.
Already in a worst-ever World Rugby ranking of fourth place, the All Blacks have now lost four of their last five test matches as Foster’s win rate at the helm of the national side continues to fall.
With a two-test tour of South Africa to open their Rugby Championship campaign looming large on the horizon, NZR’s board must now be forced to consider their options as the All Blacks enter unwanted and uncharted territory.
In saying all of that, this monumental result was almost avoided as the All Blacks mounted a second half comeback, but the lead acquired by Ireland proved too large to overcome as they looked the dominant force from the outset.
Whether it was Caelan Doris bursting through a Nepo Laulala tackle or an intricate Irish backline move that got the better of their Kiwi counterparts, the tourists made their presence felt, and they eventually reaped the rewards they deserved.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane was pinged for tackling a player without the ball, and after surprisingly turning down an easy three-point attempt, Ireland crashed over from the back of a rolling maul through Josh van der Flier inside the first four minutes.
It was a rude awakening for the All Blacks, who were punished for their sleepy start and tried to make up for it by hitting back with an aerial assault and strong ball carries from their forwards.
That much led to a penalty attempt from right out in front when Bundee Aki was penalised for hands in the ruck, which Jordie Barrett failed to convert into points by pushing his kick out to the right.
Not to be dismayed, the All Blacks continued to pressurise Ireland, but were constantly let down by handling errors inside the opening quarter of the contest.
Only until David Havili produced an opportunistic 50/22 did the All Blacks manage to get themselves on scoresheet after the Irish infringed at the breakdown.
Barrett – sporting a fresh new buzz cut – made no mistake with his second shot at goal from point-blank range which appeared to instil the All Blacks with a sense of confidence with ball in hand.
Such optimism, however, was short-lived.
Gaining a ton of territory through Johnny Sexton’s boot via a breakdown penalty won by Van der Flier, Ireland clinically picked the All Blacks apart with some typically well-structured backline attack.
Unlocking the Kiwi defence with precision in a handful of phases, a Mack Hansen skip pass put James Lowe into space down the left edge, and simple draw-and-pass enabled fullback Hugo Keenan to scorch over for his side’s second try of the encounter.
Sexton provided the extras with a conversion and penalty goal to give Ireland a double-digit lead which they never really looked like surrendering before half-time.
Their attacking shape and creativity looked worlds apart from that of the All Blacks, who looked devoid of any ideas to cut the Irish pieces as they did to them.
All of this was exemplified when Robbie Henshaw strolled in untouched for Ireland’s third try near half-time, with Sexton combining beautifully with Aki through some lovely short passing and deft running lines.
With the 35,890crowd left in a state of disbelief at the 22-3 half-time scoreline, the All Blacks simply had to be the next team to score, and they did exactly that in just a few minutes into the second half.
Rolling their sleeves up and attacking the fringes of the ruck, the All Blacks got to work to crash and bash their way over Ireland’s advantage line, eventuating in a hard-earned try to Ardie Savea following more than 20 phases of action.
Fuelled by a wave of renewed hope, New Zealand’s hopes of a comeback were bolstered by Andrew Porter’s yellow card for head contact with Brodie Retallick, which forced the All Blacks lock from the field.
Legitimate questions have to be asked as to how Porter wasn’t sent from the field given the circumstances around his infringement barely had any dissimilarities to that of Angus Ta’avao when he was red-carded for a head clash with Robbie Henshaw last week.
Regardless, the All Blacks made their numerical advantage count with immediate effect in the form of a powerful surge by Akira Ioane, who brushed past four defenders with ease to delight his teammates and fans.
All of a sudden, Ireland’s 19-point buffer had evaporated to a seven-point lead, which meant Sexton’s second penalty goal from an easy vantage point was much-needed in a bid to halt New Zealand’s onslaught.
The veteran first-five would have had a third had the ball not rattled off the crossbar from his 50-metre attempt, which would have pushed Ireland back out to a double-digit lead.
Instead, the All Blacks hit back virtually straight away, with Will Jordan producing an exceptional moment of magic.
Running a stunning line from a Savea short ball, Jordan broke away into an open backfield and outpaced everyone in his wake to bring the All Blacks to within just three points of the Irish.
Barrett could have cut that lead to just one point, but his conversion attempt was scrubbed out as the ball sailed directly over the right-hand upright.
Still, the All Blacks clearly had the upper hand in the second half’s first 20 minutes, and Ireland needed to pull something out of the bag to quell New Zealand’s surging momentum.
That came when reserve hooker Rob Herring battered his way through the Kiwi defence to score from a lineout handed to Ireland after the All Blacks let their discipline get the better of them in the immediate aftermath of Jordan’s try.
Desperate to close the gap on the scoreboard as the match ticked into its closing stages, the All Blacks squandered numerous opportunities deep inside enemy territory inside the final 10 minutes.
The overeagerness of reserve players like Folau Fakatava was counterproductive to the outcome the All Blacks were trying to achieve.
Not even the introduction of star debutant Roger Tuivasa-Sheck could revive the All Blacks as their familiar failings of poor skill execution and ill-thought tactics bit them hard.
Time will tell as to whether Foster and his colleagues will survive the aftermath of this result. For now, though, Ireland will revel in the glory of this result for the months – and years – to come.
Ireland 32 (Tries to Josh van der Flier, Hugo Keenan, Robbie Henshaw and Rob Herring; 3 conversions and 2 penalties to Johnny Sexton)
All Blacks 22 (Tries to Ardie Savea, Akira Ioane and Will Jordan; 2 conversions and penalty to Jordie Barrett)
Comments on RugbyPass
It couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
80 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments