Constantly pushing standards, delivering to supporters what they expect and setting markers has become the modern-day rugby speak. It is also a driving force and the language of the Ireland camp as they prepare for Aviva Stadium and Friday’s fifth meeting with an All Blacks side in a little over two years.
“From the off, it’s been to prepare as best we can to drive the standards of trying to be the best team possible that we can be,” says Garry Ringrose. “That’s always the North Star for us, and we’ve spoken as well about inspiring the next generation.”
The recent run against New Zealand began in Eden Park in July 2022, took in Dunedin, and culminated in Wellington with Ireland’s first series win in New Zealand. Then the knock-back of the World Cup exit. Less of that.
Now, at stake on Friday night is bragging rights, whether this Irish team have evolved in the direction they need to go. It is all big talk but why not?
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
Andy Farrell offers opportunities against Fiji but stresses established Ireland players must also perform
Four ways Ireland can fix their misfiring attack: Let Goodman cook and where is the 10?
English rugby told to wake up as RFU expected to reveal record losses
The World Cup for Ireland will always be a Holy Grail. But constantly building blocks of collective confidence by knocking over teams like the All Blacks creates a body of work that just may stand to the Irish team come Australia in 2027.
That is way down the line, and this week Ringrose is no more considering the next World Cup than he is the last and Ireland’s meeting with New Zealand in Stade de France. This week’s mission is to win and to maintain a standard Ireland have realistically set for themselves.
Ringrose was on the bench in Soldier Field in Chicago but his first taste of the All Blacks was when they came back to Ireland for the second match of that series two weeks later. He knows what he faces. Last week it would have been Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane.
When did the All Blacks lose their aura?
“Everyone in the country is really just giving us unbelievable support,” he says. “I certainly have felt a massive shift. It’s always been good, but in the last two or three years, it’s been incredible.”
What has driven the shift, he is not so sure.
“I don’t know,” he says. “Maybe personally, paying a bit more attention to it and being a bit more aware of it with getting a little bit older and that experience. When I was younger in the first couple of squads you have the blinkers on, but in the last couple of years I’ve been able to look at it from the wider lens and appreciate the amount of support we have or that I can see around the country.
“And I don’t know what it is. There just seems to be a buzz about it, definitely in the World Cup. I know my first World Cup was in Japan, so it was unbelievable travelling support. But going through a World Cup that was a little bit closer to home and seeing and feeling the support was unbelievable. And then there’s a continuation from there, I’ve certainly felt.”
Ringrose has had a mix of results in the seven times he has faced an All Blacks side. His first cap was in 2016 against Canada, his second against the All Blacks in Dublin and 57th against them in last year’s World Cup. There hasn’t been a complete power shift but Irish player’s attitudes have hardened towards better outcomes.
“I mean, I’d never use or think in my head the phrase ‘getting used to playing against them’, because they’re such a good team,” he says. “It requires all-in with the preparation of the week, because if you’re not all-in ... I certainly feel if I’m not all-in in everything I can do to try to prepare, they are exceptionally good at exposing that.
“And in the past, it shows that even when we are all-in [with our] preparation, they can still expose it with the strength they have. They’re a team you just have to be at your best against to try to beat them. And we’ve been lucky in the past in some of those seven games to get a win.”
For now, at least, that will do.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
