As it happened: All Blacks v Ireland

All Black Ardie Savea in for a try against Ireland. Photo / Dean Purcell.

Follow all the action from the All Blacks' clash against Ireland at Eden Park.

What's on?

All Blacks v Ireland, the opening test in a three-match tour. Kicking off at 7.05pm, at Eden Park.

What's at stake?

The All Blacks are likely to meet either Ireland or South Africa (who they face in two tests straight after this series) in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup next year. So, there will be many tea leaves to sift after this series.

In a nutshell:

If the All Blacks win all three matches, the series is no big deal. Lose one, and we'll shift nervously in our seats. Lose the series and it's back to nationwide lockdowns and 1pm briefings.

So, is this one of those half-baked teams the Northern Hemisphere nations send out here that we spank by 50 points?

Nope. Ireland are a real-deal team — and tonight's first test is their best chance to break down another barrier, beating the All Blacks at home. They will be greatly added by the fact the All Blacks are often scratchy in their first test of the year.

But the length of the tour should catch them out by the time they roll into Wellington for the third test on 16 July. Some players will have to double up between midweek matches against the Māori All Blacks and the Saturday tests — there are three on the bench tonight (Conor Murray, Joey Carberry and Bundee Aki) who featured in Wednesday's defeat to the Māori.

For the Irish, tonight's the night.

Also at stake:

There's the much discussed matter of the All Blacks Never Ever Losing At Eden Park. The last time the national side lost was in 1994, when Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around" was top of the charts and a bright-eyed, skinny kid called Ian Foster was playing first five-eighths for Waikato.

Ireland's form:

In March, the Irish beat England 32-15 at Twickenham, finishing second in the competition courtesy of an earlier 30-24 defeat to eventual winners France in Paris.

They've won three of the past five matches between these two sides, never having claimed an All Black scalp prior to 2016. Ten of the starting line-up named by coach Andy Farrell were in the team that won in Dublin last November. These blokes know what's required to beat the All Blacks, and they know how to smash through hoodoos.

All Blacks' recent form:

Let's just try to stay upbeat, shall we?