Andy Farrell focused on the task at hand with a healthy squad ready to make history

On July 3rd, 1994, the All Blacks led France 20-16 with three minutes remaining in Eden Park and were on the verge of salvaging a drawn series after Les Bleus had recorded their biggest win ever over New Zealand — 22-8 a week previously in Christchurch.

Philippe Saint-André, who two weeks ago guided Montpellier to their first ever French Championship, started a move in his own 22 which, 65 seconds later, ended with Jean-Luc Sadourny crossing the All Blacks’ line.

That vintage Les Bleus’ team, and especially that try, are lauded in French rugby folklore. The latter became known as “l’essai du bout du monde” (the try from the end of the world), earning them a 23—20 victory and a 2-0 series win.

It remains the first and last time a side from the northern hemisphere had won a test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand. For Ireland to emulate that French team in what may well be the last series of this kind in New Zealand or anywhere else as a global annual championship comes into being in 2024, it would assuredly be the greatest achievement by an Irish rugby side ever, bigger even than a Grand Slam or any of the many other landmarks achieved in the last 13 years.

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Next Saturday’s decider is a 37,000 sell out, thus taking the aggregate of three capacity crowds for the series to 114,500 — further evidence of the newfound respect for Irish rugby in the game’s ultimate bastion. End-of-season or end-of-tour fatigue anybody?

“Look where we are at,” said Andy Farrell yesterday at Wellington’s Sky Stadium in debunking any shred of that. “I mean, it doesn’t get any better for us. This should be the week of our lives. I mean, we are here. Not one person is talking about anything but the task at hand, today, tomorrow, Thursday training, whatever it may be.

“This is where we want to be. Of course there is pressure. That goes with that, but we have earned the right to put ourselves into a position to be in these big games. It’s where we want to be. It’s how we want to be feeling because it’s the only way that we can keep on growing.

“We have earned the right to take it to last game and everyone is in good spirits. It’s just on the task at hand.”

With that in mind, all the signs also are that this team’s two warhorses, Johnny Sexton and Peter O’Mahony, will be fit to play.

“Good, good. They are still in recovery mode. We had a meeting this morning, everyone is back up and running — back on track and in good spirits,” said Farrell, adding that save for Mack Hansen, on the bench against the Maoris, the rest of the squad will have another rest day on Wednesday before a full training session on Thursday and a Captain’s Run on Friday.

“We are in a pretty healthy state as far as the squad is concerned,” added Farrell, and with regard to Sexton’s knee injury added that the captain would play “as things stand, yeah.” O’Mahony is also on course to play after passing his HIA.

Perhaps no other player has underlined the squad’s unity and sense of purpose than O’Mahony. The Munster captain was a replacement in five of Ireland’s eight matches this season, only starting the games against Argentina, Italy and England, but his unwaveringly committed performances in response typified how he has bought into the Farrell reign.

He nearly took Joey Carbery’s hand off with a high five after winning the late penalty which sealed last November’s win over the All Blacks in Dublin, and after that autumn series O’Mahony revealed that it had been the most enjoyable camp he’d ever experienced.

Now, after a run of inspirational form for Munster, he has started and starred in both Tests out here.

“He was the best example that I’ve ever seen of just getting on with it,” admitted Farrell of O’Mahony’s response to being an impact replacement, and added: “Jack Conan is doing the same now, just being himself.”

“He was a brilliant example to everyone going forward and within all of that there’s a determination to say: ‘Right, okay, this is the situation. I’m going to get back’. And we all know that Pete has been a bit of a glue player in the changing room for how it makes people feel.

“But, wow, his performances in the big games for Munster over the last while and his captaincy for Munster has been outstanding for Munster this year. There’s a maturity within his game, there’s a hunger to keep on improving, and he was certainly one of the best on Saturday.”

[ Ireland’s win over All Blacks to be savoured but victory only a means to an end ]

What this tour has also underlined is that in light of World Rugby’s new 12-day return to play protocols for confirmed concussions, squads of 33 will be insufficient for the World Cup.

“We’ve obviously had a schedule but those plans go out the window because of the games that we’ve had and different personnel playing, doubling up.

“So on purpose sometimes what we’ve done is just change the schedule around to see how we cope because that’s what’s coming. That’s what you have to be able to do, is adapt during a World Cup. You’re not just putting the management under pressure, you’re putting the players under pressure, and when you actually say to them: ‘Listen, you’re backing up.’ Not one of them has looked at me with a body language that says; ‘You’re kidding’. They’re all desperate.

“In fact, there are people that are playing on Saturday who played in the last Maori game who are actually saying: ‘Well, why am I not playing?’ Because they want to do that for their team-mates and they understand that this is different and there’s a bigger picture to it all.

“So they’re more than happy to muck in. I think sometimes some of them enjoy playing than they do training anyway, and certainly when putting on a green jersey.”