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'It's a different playing field now': The All Blacks view of Ireland ahead of defining series
The All Blacks believe they will have to take their game up a notch to defeat an Irish side that has become “a genuine top contender” in world rugby over the last half decade.
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After a shock first-ever defeat to Ireland in Chicago in 2016, the All Blacks and Ireland have gone tit-for-tat over the last five tests between the nations.
Under former boss Sir Steve Hansen, the Kiwis avenged that loss in Dublin a few weeks later in what was a physically brutal clash, but when they returned to the Irish capital in 2018, the All Blacks were stunned 16-9 and left try-less by Joe Schmidt’s team.
The All Blacks again got revenge during the 2019 World Cup quarter-final, where a flailing Irish side was hammered 46-14 in a quarter-final drubbing.
Now led by new head coach Andy Farrell, Ireland rebounded and completed their third win over the All Blacks last November, beating New Zealand 29-20 at Aviva Stadium.
It has become a rivalry that is fitting of a three-match series, and All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree knows his side must step up to match Ireland’s physicality if they are to clinch a series win on home soil in July.
“Facing the Irish, facing these bigger teams physically, we know that they rise physically in that department,” Plumtree said on Monday.
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“We’ve got to rise further. We know we’ve got the skill, we know we’ve got the power, but our physicality’s going to have to go up a couple of notches this year.
“That’s something that we’ll be focussing on but also just our speed and our skills. They’re all something that we’ll continue to work on.
“The All Blacks forward pack, the onus is on us to make sure that we get momentum for [the backs]. That’s our job. Whether it’s up front set-piece or around the park, we’ve got to be able to get across the advantage line and consistently build pressure.”
Plumtree said it has become “a different playing field” in terms of being able to dominate up front against Ireland and outlined how the All Blacks coaches have used their off-season to conjure a plan for next month’s series.
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“I think it’s a different playing field now. We know we’re playing against a very good Irish side and we have to play very well to beat them. We’re all aware of that. There’s been a lot of work in the last two or three months around our planning.
“This is the exciting stage, the squad’s announced, we go into camp from now until the first test, pretty much. It’ll be a fresh All Blacks side and playing at home, there’s a lot for us to look forward to.”
Sam Cane, meanwhile, was excited to be named as captain to led the side again after a challenging 2021 which saw the skipper miss the July tests, Bledisloe Cup and the Rugby Championship.
He returned to action for the All Blacks on their end-of-year tour, but was not on the field for the loss to Ireland and will be looking to lead the side to different result this time round.
Cane said that Ireland “has had their number” following a continuing trend of regular losses since 2016, which promised to add to what would be a “massive” series in the context of the World Rugby rankings.
“I just think the way the Irish have played for the last few years, they’ve really moved up in world rugby and the quality of the rugby they put out has been so consistent and now they’re a genuine top contender,” the 30-year-old said.
“I think they’ve pretty much had our number as well. It hasn’t been easy. We’ve lost to them in Ireland twice now and once in Chicago.
“It’s been 10 years since they came out here so it’s going to be a real unique series. It’s going to be massive, I think. Just really excited for it to kick off now.”
Cane added that it would be critical for the All Blacks to hit the ground running in the first test, something that will be helped over the next few weeks by staging All Blacks camps in the lead-up to the series opener in Auckland on July 2.
“We never try and start slow. It’s one of the challenges of coming from Super Rugby and trying to bring players from the five teams together. For sure, there won’t be much room for starting slow at all,” he said
“There’s a camp this week for the boys that aren’t playing in the Super Rugby final to get a little bit of a head start and then the two weeks; preparation will be really important.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Wow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
1 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
1 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to comments