Some 13 months on, 392 days to be exact, the pain of last year’s dramatic World Cup quarter-final defeat will linger for Ireland.
Handing Ireland their first home defeat after a 19-test winning run, and securing their first victory in Dublin for eight years, the All Blacks upstaged the world’s top-ranked nation.
Their ninth win this season – fifth in a row – could well be the making of Scott Robertson’s courageous All Blacks.
Summoning their best performance of the year to snatch their most significant scalp, the All Blacks fully deserved this victory after overcoming adversity – recovering on a six-day turnaround, Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor’s notable absences and a first-half yellow card for Jordie Barrett – to dominate Andy Farrell’s vaunted Ireland.
Successive wins over England and Ireland on their treasured home patches sends a signal to the world that, after a scratchy start to the year, this All Blacks team is, indeed, evolving, maturing and discovering their identity.
Will Jordan celebrates scoring the All Blacks' only try of the match. Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks will now carry confidence into their final two tests of the year against France in Paris, before finishing the gruelling campaign in Italy.
Amid the backdrop of sledging and bad blood, this contest wasn’t a memorable spectacle – more a grind of a grudge match.
Ireland, playing their first test since July, were rusty in an underwhelming performance. They lacked continuity with 21 basic handling errors disrupting their flow and frequent penalties – 13 to All Blacks’ five – proving costly. Missing 31 tackles didn’t help, either.
Ireland have adopted the Zombie theme song ‘in your head’ but on this occasion they were their own worst enemies. The All Blacks, however, deserve credit for forcing those cracks.
Just as it was last week at Twickenham, impact from the bench proved pivotal for the All Blacks.
The All Blacks unleashed three of their heavy-hitting tight five – Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Pasilio Tosi and Patrick Tuipulotu – off the bench for the final quarter and gained immediate rewards in the form of a telling scrum penalty that Damian McKenzie converted to regain the lead.
From there, the All Blacks displayed superior composure – as Ireland cracked under pressure – to build phases and create the definitive strike for Will Jordan’s try that secured the match-winning 10-point buffer.
In Taylor’s absence, Asafo Aumua stood tall with another huge shift on both sides of the ball. Under fatigue in the closing stages, Aumua delivered the final pass for Jordan’s try.
Wallace Sititi was prominent with the ball in hand again. Damian McKenzie, with 18 points off the boot, including one clutch penalty under shot clock pressure after the ball fell off the tee, delivered a largely assured display stepping into Beauden Barrett’s breach at first five-eighth, too.
The breakdown was a shambolic lottery under Australian referee Nic Berry, with players entering from all sides, Irish defenders lying all over the ball to disrupt the ruck speed while the All Blacks were fortunate to escape punishment for an illegal Cortez Ratima steal in the scrappy first half while defending his line.
Damian McKenzie kicked six penalties. Photo / Photosport
Ratima endured a difficult night from the base under the pressure Ireland applied and there was a notable lift in tempo and clearance after Cam Roigard’s second-half introduction.
Pre-match theatre was elevated with Rieko Ioane, one of the central protagonists, leading the haka and Ireland advancing to accept the challenge but with their execution in the game, the locals did not rise for the occasion.
The All Blacks enjoyed a largely dominant first half with Tupou Vaa’i and Scott Barrett pinching one Irish lineout throw each and their scrum applying consistent heat without gaining rewards, but their breakdown was under huge pressure.
With ball in hand, Ireland struggled to impose their shape as two uncharacteristic Bundee Aki errors thwarted progress. That theme continued throughout the contest with Ireland’s handling costing them any sort of chance to build sustained pressure.
In their best chance of the first half the All Blacks turned down a shot at goal for a lineout 10 metres from Ireland’s line. Aumua’s throw was called not straight, despite Ireland not contesting.
The All Blacks fashioned a six-point lead but, just before the break, Jordie Barrett copped a yellow card for high contact on soon-to-be Leinster teammate Garry Ringrose’s head.
In one of many examples of their composure under pressure, the All Blacks rode through Barrett’s absence to storm over the top of Ireland – just as they did to overturn another second-half deficit before clinging on against England last week.
While the All Blacks will cherish this triumph, they levelled the ledger with Ireland at five wins apiece since 2016 to underline why this rivalry remains one to savour.
All Blacks: Will Jordan try, Damian McKenzie pen 6
Ireland: Josh van der Flier try, Jack Crowley pen 2, con
