New Zealand send message to rugby world with Ireland win

DUBLIN, Ireland — Any talk of New Zealand losing their fear factor has been grossly premature.

This 23-13 win not only ended Ireland’s 19-match winning run at home, but also reinforced the All Blacks as being as formidable a team as ever. This performance of controlled aggression and set-piece superiority was a message to the sport: Scott Robertson’s post-World Cup regeneration is on the right track.

Those great All Blacks like Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick and Aaron Smith all left on their shields after the last World Cup. All of them sit in the pantheon of Kiwi greats, but the weight of that silver fern means there’s no let-up in expectation and demand. Robertson, in his first year as All Blacks coach, had to build another team, moulding old, grizzled warriors and fresh-faced Kiwis.

They came to the northern hemisphere with the hosts smelling blood, looking to knock over a team in transition, who won just three from six in the Rugby Championship. But after last week’s 24-22 win at Twickenham over England — helped in part by George Ford’s late missed penalty and subsequent drop-goal, they doubled down on that with a wonderfully controlled and effective performance in Dublin with Damian McKenzie steering them wonderfully from fly-half. He finished with 18 points, alongside Will Jordan’s second-half try, while Jack Crowley kicked over eight points and Josh van der Flier scored their sole try.

The pre-match narrative was judging how Ireland would look without Tadhg Furlong, and with a pair of hookers who had just 12 minutes of match-time this season between them. Then there was the incredibly impressive Caelan Doris — potentially the man who may end up leading the British & Irish Lions next year — as Ireland’s new captain. New Zealand were without Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor — both picking up head injuries at Twickenham — but had more familiarity, playing eight Tests since Ireland last ran out in their 25-24 win in South Africa back in July.

Ireland were favourites for this match, but there was yet another subplot, dating back to October last year in what is now an intriguing rivalry. There was talk of revenge in the air this week. For so long the All Blacks had Ireland’s number, going 111 years unbeaten until the two met on a glorious afternoon in Chicago in 2016.

Since then Ireland have won five of their nine clashes with the All Blacks, but their last meeting in Paris last year stung the Irish. That night in the World Cup quarterfinal, the All Blacks broke Irish hearts, winning 28-24. But the embers of that clash 13 months ago were rekindled again in the build-up to Friday’s match with Johnny Sexton’s autobiography reigniting the row.

The book referenced an expletive-laden exchange between Rieko Ioane and Sexton after the final whistle blew in what was Sexton’s final professional rugby match. A day can be a long time in sport, but still that incident was referenced this week so one of the loudest cheers of the first half inside the slightly chilly Aviva Stadium was when Ioane was on the wrong end of a perfectly timed Garry Ringrose hip-splitting tackle. But that was one of the few times the Irish crowd had things to cheer in the first 40.

The first half saw New Zealand dominate possession and territory, Wallace Satiti again putting in an age-defying performance at the back of the All Blacks’ scrum. New Zealand dominated in the set piece and generally won the arm-wrestle. But for all that endeavour and gut-busting effort, they only had a three-point advantage at half-time.

Referee Nic Berry was hot on the new World Rugby law directive around players shielding team-mates catching high balls — effectively eliminating escort runners — with that causing issues for both teams. But it was such a call at the start of the second half that gave Ireland the platform for their first try.

Though Ireland’s lineout was far from smooth after they kicked for touch, Sam Cane was bundled back over his own line by James Lowe and Bundee Aki forcing a five-metre scrum and the shaky Irish front-row managed to hold firm to give Josh van der Flier the platform to burrow over in the 42nd minute. From there it looked like Ireland multiplied, the All Blacks suddenly scattered around Dublin, and the home side found that form which has taken them to the number one spot in the world. But it was a fleeting reminder of their undoubted ability.

Time and again, handling errors let them down. Whenever you felt like they were going to build a dominant spell, they’d knock the ball on. Andy Farrell, the Ireland head coach, looked increasingly frustrated in the coaches’ box as his players made uncharacteristic errors. The pitch was slippery after the afternoon drizzle, but it felt like the match was going to be called by whoever found more precision.

The match swung in the All Blacks favour in the 60th minute when the unfortunate tight-head replacement Tom O’Toole lasted just two minutes before being forced off with a head injury. That meant Finlay Bealham would have to go 78 minutes. Having seen O’Toole head off, the All Blacks brought on their front-row replacements and Ofa Tu’ungafasi turned Bealham inside out and Damian McKenzie knocked over his fifth penalty to give the All Blacks a 15-13 lead. After adding another three points three minutes later, Will Jordan darted over in the corner in the 68th minute and the visitors had a 10-point buffer.

A remarkable Lowe 50/22 torpedo gave Ireland a platform, but just like they’d done time and time again, the All Blacks wall was unbowed, and Ireland were pushed back. It must’ve felt like Ireland were drowning in this New Zealand mass, hope slowly extinguishing.

McKenzie ended up with the player of the match award. His control and goal-kicking was exemplary, while Satiti put in yet another monumental showing alongside Savea. They’re the present and future of the All Blacks. When Berry blew the final whistle, the reaction was muted. The All Blacks may have lost their flawless record against Ireland in the last eight years, but in the past 13 months they have swung the balance of this fixture back in their favour.

Ireland would’ve hoped for four from four this November. This was a disappointing evening, for a team who are usually so immaculate. They made uncharacteristic errors, coughed up possession in the worst areas possible and just looking a little rusty. New Zealand pounced and for so much of this, had the game in the palm of their hand. This rivalry will only heat up over the coming years, but this was a deserved victory for the All Blacks and a reminder yet again of why they simply won’t go away.