Ruthless New Zealand capitalise fully on Ireland’s frailties

New Zealand 42 Ireland 19

A Saturday night in Eden Park and a dog-eared script. This first Test scoreline was almost a reprise of the 42-10 result of the series opener a decade ago at the same venue. Back in your box Ireland. About all that was missing was the rain.

At stages, most notably in the decisive second quarter when the All Blacks effectively won the match with a four-try salvo, three of them in a nine-minute period, it felt as grim as many of the old days hereabouts.

Ireland struggled to live with the intensity, physicality and tempo which the All Blacks brought to their game, especially when scoring three tries inside nine minutes.

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Yet Ireland were also way more competitive than in the corresponding fixture a decade ago. They started both halves superbly, scored three fine tries, never threw in the towel and were held up on another five occasions over the All Blacks’ line.

Not that it necessarily matters, they also had more possession and territory, and it says everything about the way they extended the All Blacks that they forced the home side to make 197 tackles, while only missing 16. For their part, Ireland had a similarly successful ratio, making 134 tackles and missing 14.

Rarely has an Irish team taken the game to the All Blacks on Kiwi soil so impressively. The 18-phase attack off a lineout drive which culminated in Keith Earls’ stepping inside Jordan Barrett after Johnny Sexton, Garry Ringrose and, helped by Robbie Henshaw’s dummy run, Hugo Keenan worked the one-on-one with an advantage was a beauty.

Ireland might even have gone 12-0 ahead when Ringrose latched onto Sexton’s lovely grubber but Beauden Barrett – as he does, such is his ability to read the game quicker than the vast majority of players – picked off the pass inside to the supporting Jamison Gibson-Park.

For all the All Blacks’ excellence, nor did the bounce of the ball go Ireland’s way, not least when it ricocheted above Sexton’s head after his own chip ahead. There were also unlucky with some costly slips on the Eden Park dew, notably when Sexton slipped and his head collided into Sam Cane’s leg, prompting his departure.

James Lowe also lost his footing and Sevu Reece picked up the ensuing loose ball from Ringrose for his long-range try, and also when Lowe and Peter O’Mahony slipped for the All Blacks’ killer fourth try before half-time by Ardie Savea.

They were damaging sucker punches, and yet, when the All Blacks did generate momentum in that second quarter, Ireland were blown away a little disconcertingly. They also stealthily punished Ireland for any inaccuracies.

Take Jamison Gibson-Park’s display as the returning heart beat of this team. He did many things well, with his tireless work around the pitch. And particularly when probing and making the right choices in all of Ireland’s three tries.

Yet when he sniped off a lineout inside the 22, it led to both the All Blacks’ counter-ruck and Beauden Barrett’s deft no-look grubber into the space Gibson-Park normally sweeps for Quinn Tupaea to score.

When Gibson-Park also let a James Ryan lineout steal go over the touchline when he could have kept it in play, it led to New Zealand scoring off the next throw-in when Savea burned Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw and Earls.

Of New Zealand’s six tries, that was one of three in which their tactic of Aaron Smith hitting the third receiver penetrated an Irish defence that had conceded just four tries in the entire Six Nations. Ireland might perhaps also have aped that tactic a tad, given how often one-off runners were held up close to or over the line.

Ireland will have grumbles about the officiating, be it Beauden Barrett’s one-handed knock-on in the build-up to Sevu Reece’s breakaway try, Karl Dickson’s scrummaging interpretations, the way the All Blacks were allowed to clear out the man beyond the ruck, Scott Barrett not being punished more heavily for taking out Peter O’Mahony with a no-arms high hit. And also the decision by the TMO Marius van der Westhuizen and Dickson not to either award Joey Carbery his second-half touchdown or else a penalty try for Reiko Ioane’s shoulder belt tackle.

Another concern is how so many put in some huge shifts, notably the front row as usual, with Andrew Porter going the full 80 in a mountain of work, and Tadhg Furlong 68 minutes. Admittedly Sheehan’s 76 minutes was due to Dave Heffernan unluckily suffering concussion with his first carry. Even so, it was some shift by the hooker.

While he takes some of the blame for the five lost lineouts, though nowhere near all, Sheehan’s five carries in that opening try set the tone for a magnificent effort. Even the way he was closest to Reece when he competed his 80-metre gallop and also covered across to deny Leicester Fainga’anuku a debut try summed up his performance.

Needless to say Josh van der Flier’s standards never flinched, be it his acceleration and lines onto the ball or his tireless tackling. Peter O’Mahony had a big game, while Jack Conan and Kieran Treadwell both made big impacts.

Ultimately though, Ireland are wounded, both mentally and physically, and stretched and up against the ropes as they regroup before flying to the south of the South Island on Wednesday.

Andy Farrell seemed to have an almost masochistic desire in wanting this tour to test his squad to the limit, and in light of two opening defeats, Covid cases and concussion cases among a lengthening injury list, it is certainly fulfilling that brief now.

“Well it doesn’t get any harder than this so the reference is always there for us down the track – remember when we did this, remember when we had no excuses, remember when we dug in and went hard together, all 40 of us, you know, including the staff on the back of that. That’s a good reference point.

“We talk about for the last three years, giving people an opportunity and we’ve got to find opportunities and yes, it might be difficult but it tests our resolve. So we get to find out about ourselves – who can deal with pressure like this, staff and players.

“So this, again, is priceless for us.”

SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins: Earls try 0-5; 21: J Barrett try, con 7-5; 30: Reece try, J Barrett con 14-5; 36: Tupaea try, J Barrett con 21-5; 38: Savea try, J Barrett con 28-5; (half-time 28-5); 44: Ringrose try, Carbery con 28-12; 53: Savea try, J Barrett con 35-12; 71: Sowakula try, J Barrett con 42-12; 77: Aki try, Carbery con 42-19.

NEW ZEALAND: Jordie Barrett; Sevu Reece, Reiko Ioane, Quinn Tupaea, Leicester Fainga’anuku; Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith; George Bower, Codie Taylor, Ofa Tu’ungafasi; Brodie Retallick, Samuel Whitelock; Scott Barrett, Sam Cane (capt), Ardie Savea.

Replacements: Samisoni Taukei’aho for Taylor, Karl Tu’inukuafe for Bower, Angus Ta’avao for Tu’ungafasi (all 55 mins), Finlay Christie for Smith, Richie Mo’unga for Tupaea (both 60), Pita Gus Sowakula for Retalick (63), Dalton Papalii for Cane, Braydon Ennor for Ioane (both 67).

Sinbinned: Tu’inukuafe (79 mins).

IRELAND: Hugo Keenan; Keith Earls, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Johnny Sexton (capt), Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

Replacements: Joey Carbery for Sexton (31 mins), Jack Conan for Doris, Bundee Aki for Earls (both 56), Dave Heffernan for Sheehan (63), Kieran Treadwell for (65), Sheehan for Heffernan (67), Tom O’Toole for Furlong (68), Conor Murray for Gibson-Park (73). Not used: Cian Healy.

Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU).