Damian McKenzie was named player of the match in the All Blacks XV defeat of Ireland A. Photo / Photosport
Damian McKenzie was named player of the match in the All Blacks XV defeat of Ireland A. Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks XV have defeated an Ireland A side 47-19 in Dublin, the tourists winning a fast-flowing match with ease.
Led by a dominant display by the forward pack and guided by classy halves TJ Perenara and Damian McKenzie, the XV scored seven tries.
McKenzie was a deserved player of the match for the All Blacks XV after sparking several tries, scoring one and kicking six from seven conversion attempts.
Shaun Stevenson also stood out with two tries and played a significant hand in two 80m-plus scoring efforts.
McKenzie was pleased with the victory and credited his forwards for providing the space he needed to help the team pile on the points.
“They did a great job, physically, up front and round the defence and securing turnover ball, and then I think some of our back three, our midfielders, put their hands up tonight and sparked some good plays.
“It was a great performance... really proud.”
One of those midfielders was Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who recorded a solid, yet unspectacular, showing in the number 12 jersey; though likely not enough to force an advancement within the ranks of All Blacks midfielders ahead of next year’s World Cup.
The game began in scrappy fashion, with both teams taking the first 10 minutes to find their feet in front of a fired-up Dublin crowd.
However, the floodgates soon opened and it was McKenzie who turned the key.
A pinpoint cross-field chip ended the opening deadlock as it found a leaping Stevenson, who beat his man and strolled over for the opening try.
Ten minutes later the forward pack did the business as Brodie McAlister capped off a strong start to the game with ball in hand with a rumbling try via a rolling maul from a lineout close to the Irish line.
A 90-metre team effort followed. Driven by more magic from McKenzie, he snapped up a loose ball from an Irish knock-on to spark the breakout. The sequence was completed when Stevenson scored in the corner to hand himself an early double for the match.
Shaun Stevenson celebrates scoring his second try. Photo / Photosport
Luke Jacobson then provided Ireland with an opening after he was shown a harsh yellow card for taking out a man at the ruck a touch late and with no arms.
The numbers advantage provided Ireland with the space on attack they’d been searching for and some swift interchanges within the All Blacks 22 eventually led to a lovely try under the posts.
At halfway Ireland would have felt like they were still in the match, trailing by 12 points.
However, that hope was almost immediately snatched out of their hands by Stevenson. Just 20 seconds into the second half, the winger again sparked a long-range effort, this time setting up Ruben Love for a try under the posts after he broke the line on his own 22.
More pain was inflicted onto the hosts ten minutes later as McKenzie put Dominic Gardiner into a huge hole, who then set up Braydon Ennor in the corner.
Ireland scored their second try via Ulster tighthead Marty Moore, as he plonked over the line from close range after Ireland took a tap from a penalty on the All Blacks five-metre line.
The final quarter of the match saw the visitors push through any travelling pains to score two further tries, while Ireland picked up a final consolation in the dying minutes.
All Blacks XV coach Leon MacDonald was impressed with the way the team sealed the victory.
“They showed a lot of effort right till the final whistle. I know they were feeling it the last 20 minutes but they kept working really hard.
“We were pretty dominant with ball in hand, I thought we used the ball really well and then we were able to get some good quick ball which allowed our backs to run into space, so really happy with the way we played.”
All Blacks XV 47 (Shaun Stevenson 2, Brodie McAlister, Ruben Love, Braydon Ennor, AJ Lam, Damian McKenzie tries; McKenzie 6 cons)
