All Black Ardie Savea in for a try during the Rugby test match between the All Blacks and Ireland. 02 July 2022 New Zealand Herald photograph by Dean Purcell.
All Black Ardie Savea in for a try during the Rugby test match between the All Blacks and Ireland. 02 July 2022 New Zealand Herald photograph by Dean Purcell.
The All Blacks opening win of the season was built on a well-planned set-piece performance, but it was finished on finely-tuned instincts.
Ireland weren't so far behind the All Blacks in the core facets of winning the ball and the collisions. But they were light years behind in being able to sniff and exploit even a half-chance and the ability of the All Blacks to pounce on counter-attack and sense where an opponent is weak remains the gift that they alone possess.
There was pre-match talk of the All Blacks being in terminal decline, but they continue to be blessed with the sharpest instincts in world rugby and the difference between the two teams came down to their respective ability to convert pressure into points. It was here that the All Blacks were lethal.
Ireland had more possession and more territory but the All Blacks had more awareness, more cohesion and certainty when they had the ball and were clinical, bordering on ruthless at times.
It was instinct and awareness that delivered the All Blacks first three tries. The first came on the back of an opportunistic run from Jordie Barrett, who ran a wide line – outside the wave of forwards who were queuing up for a short pass to crash over the line after Leicester Fainga'anuku had been stopped just a metre short.
"Beaudy ran that line a couple of times at training and I was out in the middle of the field and I wondered if I ran off his back and he turns a couple of guys in, I might be able to get some plums. I knew that Nuggy's [Aaron Smith] pass selection is top quality and nine times out of 10 he finds the right man and I was in a gaping hole."
The second decisive instinctive moment came when the All Blacks used their aggressive and well-organised, wide defence to pressure Ireland into making a mistake when they appeared to be building an effective attack.
All Black Haka during the Rugby test match between the All Blacks and Ireland. 02 July 2022 New Zealand Herald photograph by Dean Purcell.
The ball was dropped, Sevu Reece picked it up and scampered 80 metres to score under the posts.
And the third moment of instinctive brilliance came a few minutes later when the All Blacks forced a turnover outside the Irish 22 and were able to attack against a ragged defensive line.
Beauden Barrett was able to place a perfectly weighted kick for Quinn Tupaea to score virtually unopposed.
"Me and Baz looked at each other and both knew what was going on," says Tupaea. "He saw the space and nudged it through. I called a different call but he saw it a bit different and I'm glad he did it.
"Before the play happened I had a quick look up and could see they were all in the frontline so I knew I had a little bit of time and there was no halfback covering.
"The ball was skidding along the ground and it was pretty dewy out there and I didn't want to spill it one metre out from the line so I was pretty careful."
Those three plays were transformational as from being 5-0 after 20 minutes, the All Blacks were 21-5 ahead after 35 and when Ardie Savea managed to score just before half-time thanks to a brilliant opportunistic break by Aaron Smith, Ireland were effectively dead and buried.
Ireland had more of the ball and more of the territory in the first half but the All Blacks proved it's what you do with it that matters more.
"You have got to score points against the All Blacks if you are going to beat them," said Ireland coach Andy Farrell.
"That's what they do to you. You can be attacking lovely and think that you are flowing pretty well and all of a sudden you take your eye off the ball for one second and there is an intercept if you don't quite be accurate enough, quick enough or aggressive enough at the wide breakdown.
"Before you know it you are under your posts again. We played some decent rugby but if you switch off for a second and you pay for it."
