IRELAND WALKED TOWARDS the haka, setting a defiant tone, but their challenge against the All Blacks ended with something of a whimper. There was plenty of stern resistance from Andy Farrell’s men in defence in their opening November Test but ultimately they were well short of their best. Their attack was nowhere near the standard they expect of themselves, rust all over their performance as they knocked on too many times in slippery conditions, as well as losing a couple of key breakdowns, and seeing their lineout pinched twice.
Ireland did score one try through Josh van der Flier during a sin-bin spell for Leinster-bound centre Jordie Barrett, but Farrell’s men didn’t do enough damage with their possession and ended up having to do a lot of energy-sapping defending as a result. A penalty count of 13 was poor too. The All Blacks were happy to take their points throughout, out-half Damian McKenzie slotting six penalties, and they took their one try chance in clinical fashion as McKenzie directed a brilliant attack that yielded Will Jordan’s 37th try in 39 Tests.
When Ireland scored 10 points early in the second half during Barrett’s time in the bin, it looked like they might recover from a first half that featured too many sloppy moments but the Kiwis were as resilient as ever in staying in the fight and pulling ahead of Ireland. Rieko Ioane was the man who led their haka and they battled hard for their first win in Dublin since 2016. They were helped home by a big b.
