New Zealand's Codie Taylor celebrates after scoring a try with Anton Lienert-Brown during a test match played in Ireland last November. Photo / INPHO, Photosport
New Zealand's Codie Taylor celebrates after scoring a try with Anton Lienert-Brown during a test match played in Ireland last November. Photo / INPHO, Photosport
Ireland's touring rugby side are set to be reminded at every turn they have never beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand as part of a controversial marketing campaign likely to rile a few feathers.
The ads will focus on the All Blacks intimidating track record at home as New Zealand and Ireland face off in a three-test-match series, kicking-off at Eden Park on July 2.
Sports betting agency TAB NZ plans to post billboards in each New Zealand host city, with some located close to the Irish team's hotels and others on the routes they will travel to get to training and the games.
One billboard simply states: "0 wins in NZ".
Ouch. That's the amount of times Ireland has won in New Zealand (at least against the All Blacks - Ireland beat the Wallabies 15-6 at Eden Park in a World Cup clash in 2011).
Another billboard states: "Think the flight was long? Try a 28-year unbeaten streak at Eden Park".
That's a reminder that no international team has beaten the All Blacks in Auckland since 1994.
The ads aim to intimidate the Irish and stoke New Zealand pride, but some might question whether the bold bravado could backfire and even if such shameless bragging is the Kiwi way.
TAB NZ said the billboards are simply sharing "helpful facts" with the visitors.
"From when they arrive in New Zealand until the moment they step onto the field, TAB NZ will be there to remind them that their odds aren't looking good," the company's general manager Marketing and Customer Experience Jodi Williams said.
The billboard ads are part of a controversial new campaign by TAB NZ. Photo / Supplied
"You have to go all the way back to 1994 to find the last time the All Blacks had a loss at the Garden of Eden. That was the same year Forrest Gump hit the big screen, and Friends began its glittering 10-season run on TV."
She said Ireland's three test matches in New Zealand gave them a lot of minutes to truly weigh up their odds of winning.
The campaign comes as the two teams have clashed on 33 occasions.
The first match was in 1905 but regular test matches between the two nations only kicked off in the 1970s.
Out of those 33 matches, Ireland has only ever won three tests and drawn one.
However, the Irish odds look remarkably better when taken on recent form.
TAB NZ plans to post the billboards on roads where the Irish team will travel and even close to their team hotel. Photo / Supplied
Out of the last five tests played between the two nations, Ireland has a 3-2 winning record, with two wins on Irish soil and one win in the US.
That included the Irish winning the last match between the two sides 29-20 in Ireland last November.
Ireland also had a second-place finish behind France in the 2022 Six Nations on 4 wins and 1 loss.
TAB NZ's Williams said that despite the cheeky ad campaign her team like everyone else was looking forward to the contest.
Ireland's James Lowe scores a try past All Black Jordie Barrett on the way to an Irish victory on home soil last year. Photo / INPHO, Photosport
"Based on Ireland's strong showing in this year's Six Nations, this should be a great three-test series that will keep fans of both sides on the edge of their seats," she said.
This story has been updated to reflect the fact Ireland have won in NZ - against the Wallabies.
