All Blacks v Ireland
With the home sides leading 2-0 in their respective series, this weekend’s games might be described as “dead rubbers.” They are in terms of winning the meaningless silverware on offer but they are anything but as far as the teams are concerned. The southern hemisphere teams will want to go into the new Rugby Championship with three wins and certainly won’t want to drop a test to the sides from up north. For Ireland, Wales and England it is the last test of a very long season and to head off on holiday with the scalp of one of the big three would be a satisfying end to what so far have been disappointing tours.
On consecutive weekends both Old Ireland and New Ireland have been on display. The capitulation of the first test will have brought back memories of similar humiliating trouncings from the past. The tenacity, intensity and skill of the second game were something rarely seen from Ireland, and resembled Leinster in many ways. Old Ireland might have celebrated the narrow defeat as a moral victory, but this team is hurting and realise that the All Blacks won because they are better at closing out tight games.
The All Blacks were curiously flat in the second test and Ireland deserves much credit for this. Richie McCaw suffered another attack of the dropsy’s but maintained his usual high work rate. He does, however, look like he has been overtaken by the young open-side pretenders Warburton, Pocock and O’Brien – with Sam Cane possibly the next cab off the rank.
Discipline was a problem for the All Blacks, though the yellow card rightly awarded to Israel Dagg was out of character. Ali Williams was apparently in the squad because of his experience but he let himself and his team down with the foul on Eoin Reddan and his subsequent petulance. He conceded three points at a crucial stage of the game and he may have played his last game for the All Blacks. However, Dan Carter remains in a class of his own and while put under pressure by the Irish loose forwards still managed to secure the victory for the All Blacks….just.
Carter will watch the third test from the stands as one of a number of changes made by Steven Hansen, though Aaron Cruden looks ready for the challenge, he is not DC. Julian Savea has experienced the highs and lows of test rugby in his first two games and one hopes he bounces back after being dropped from the squad of 22 for Saturday. Hosea Gear and Ben Smith should shore up the defence as well as providing potent attacking options. McCaw will win his first cap at No 8 and will be joined in the back-row by Sam Cane and Liam Messam. Kieran Read will be missed in many areas of the game and the AB’s will look to Luke Romano to bring some steel to the scrum which has sorely missed Brad Thorn in the series so far. The Irish pack will sniff an opportunity to repeat their dominant performance of the second test, though know they still have work to do at the set piece.
The scrum was as controversial as ever and it seems that inconsistencies in the application of the laws are a part of the game these days. This was certainly the case on Saturday and likely to be again in the final test. Romain Poite will officiate in Hamilton and he is known for having a unique interpretation of not just the scrum but the breakdown too. He was in charge in the recent RaboDirect and France’s Top 14 finals. In both games he awarded yellow cards to props for scrummage offences and five cards in total to forwards in the two games. Ireland have felt hard done by Poite in the past and will be hoping that is not the case this time round.
Ireland will expect a “blacklash” in Hamilton and it would be a surprise if the All Blacks don’t improve substantially. The Irish will be encouraged having got close in the second test and there will be no shortage of passion or self belief on display from the men in green on Saturday. This will be their 17th test of the season and the final chance for many of the Irish team to secure an elusive win over the All Blacks. While this would appear unlikely, after last weekend, it would be a brave man who would write them off completely.
Posted under News & Opinions
11 months ago
Next to the Chiefs (this year) and the Crusaders (most years) the club I enjoy watching more than any other over the last few years has been Leinster. I would argue that while their skill level may not quite reach the sublime heights of the best Kiwi sides, their determination and mental toughness are second to none. It was good to see that toughness on display last weekend.
11 months ago
This is what we are about! AllBlacks !!!!!!!!!!! 60-0. Ireland did well to not let the score to be more than 66 like back in 2010.
11 months ago
Hunter… your crass celebration of the humiliation of a proud Irish side is embarrassing to me. Since judging from your icon you are a Yank, like me, when did the NZ national side become “we”? There is no doubt that the ABs are the more talented and deeper side than the Irish, but 60-0 reflects more the Irish’s inability to put aside their disappointment from last week than it is a fair reflection of the difference in skill levels. Shame on you!
11 months ago
I’m delighted we humiliated them – sport at this level is not about participation and what was most pleasing about this particular performance is that ‘we’ keep the hammer down for the full 80. Last week was the anomaly..and the difference in skill levels is there for everyone to see. Very pleased to put BOD on the plane with a record thrashing to his name.
11 months ago
Mr. Goldstein, What’s crass about stating the facts? And that was a new record margin, but not the highest score which looked like it was going to be against Ireland. I complimented them by saying they did well to not let that happen. I guess you read into what you want to hear and/or too sensitive. Do you play rugby? How do you cope? You whinge about harsh words said to you during contact? And I’m nothing like you! The flag says where we live and that’s about all we have in common. I lived overseas for 20 years and part of my stay was in New Zealand, Wellington and Takaka where I watch my rugby live. I’ve been an AllBlack supporter since 1981 and lived off and on with Kiwis, Australians and South Africans from 1991 in Great Britain and New Zealand. We all gel together and my best friends are antipodeans and I’m part of this international family that welcomes me and accepts my loyalty to the mighty AllBlacks. In other words Mr. Goldestein, I’m an AllBlack supporter to the bone. My wife of 8 years is a New Zealander and my mates here now that I live in the states again are of different nationalities, but the kiwis and myself watch the games together and they have no problem with me being a proud supporter. So it’s my team and they kick ass. We are number 1 in the world and we worked ard for it. The Irish talk big and if you went onto the AllBlack website and read/wrote on their forum you would have seen BOD and other irish team mates state they could win the 3rd test and they had what it takes since they will improve more than 2nd test. Nothing to do with inabilty to put aside their disappointment. The better team won. Ireland tried their best but it wasn’t good enough. AllBlacks knew how to improve on the 2nd test and did just that. This is an open forum for people to write their opinions and you want to stop others from doing that, because you are too sensitive! We are number 1 and it feels good. Go AllBlacks.
11 months ago
Hunter, in today’s world, as your posts so ably demonstrate, civility is an under-appreciated virtue. Cheers, Michael
11 months ago
Hunter when you say “we are No1” USA are actually 17th. Or does that new defence treaty make NZ the next Hawaii?
10 months ago
The better counter attacking team won. Obviously Ireland need to go back and fir their analysts for failing to stay with “what’s hot” and “what’s not” in todays rugby. Counter attacking the AB is hot and all the other styles are not. Possession rugby. Sorry England, Australia, Ireland, Wales, France so to speak and Scotland. IRB changed the laws so your ball will be turned over and NZ will punish you. SA who back in 2004 came out with a new style by letting the opposition have the ball and try and use turn overs as a attacking platform was on the right path except you are not allowed to kick the ball so much and beat NZ. Especially when you noted they score mos of their tries from kick returns and employ wingers that can chase and defend well to stop the back 3. So after 15 years the IRB manage to create a game that fit only 1 teams style. France have that ability to turn on the counter attack but they normally wait until they meet NZ in a game where they are given no hope. But the Stormers manage to create a way which most NZ teams do not like to play against. But it involves kicking and I am sure the IRB will outlaw something to nullify the way the Stormers go about.
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