Ireland 13-23 New Zealand: All Blacks end Ireland's 19-game unbeaten home run

Image source, Getty Photography

Matt Gault

BBC Sport NI at Aviva Stadium

Eire (6) 13

Tries: Van der Flier Con: Crowley Pens: Crowley 2

Fresh Zealand (9) 23

Are attempting: Jordan Pens: McKenzie 6

Eire suffered a first dwelling defeat in greater than three years as they were beaten by Fresh Zealand in an Autumn Countries Sequence match that did no longer add a most new thrilling chapter to 1 amongst rugby’s finest rivalries.

Six penalties from Fresh Zealand hotfoot-half of Damian McKenzie lifted the All Blacks to their first catch on Irish soil since 2016.

McKenzie kicked three penalties to present Fresh Zealand a 9-6 half of-time lead, even supposing they misplaced Jordie Barrett to a yellow card for a excessive care for on Garry Ringrose.

With a numerical inspire, Eire started the second half of standard with Josh van der Flier scoring a grand-valuable are trying for the hosts.

But Eire’s self-discipline rate them as McKenzie nailed three extra penalties earlier than Will Jordan’s are trying – his 37th in 39 Assessments – killed the dwelling aspect’s hopes of exacting revenge for closing yr’s World Cup quarter-final loss.

While Fresh Zealand head to France having added an Irish scalp to Saturday’s catch over England, the Six Countries champions must regroup earlier than welcoming Argentina to Dublin next week.

“We’re disappointed. It’s without recount summed up by the mood of the dressing room,” acknowledged Eire head coach Andy Farrell.

“It’s rather sombre. The boys are gutted and we’re all gutted. I believed we’d prepped neatly, knowledgeable neatly and we were brooding about the sport. We did no longer manage to assign our sport out on the realm.

“Clearly the opposition have a mountainous dispute in that. The energy and accuracy wasn’t there for desiring to catch a mountainous Take a look at match admire that.”

Both teams had scores to settle coming into a sport dripping with hype and sub-plots.

And, whereas the hosts were unable to avenge closing yr’s World Cup loss, the importance of victory in Eire would possibly maybe no longer be misplaced on the All Blacks after their dwelling series defeat in 2022.

It’s miles a rivalry that infrequently ever disappoints, which made the first half of the full extra perplexing.

Indeed, even after a spine-tingling Irish affirm as the hosts developed to face the haka and the unconventional detect of Andrew Porter charging down an opponent’s kick a minute in, the sport did no longer win fire.

With 25 minutes on the clock, the teams had only delivered a penalty apiece.

It was no longer without appetizing moments, even though, from Joe McCarthy’s altercation with Scott Barrett to Garry Ringrose’s crunching hit on Rieko Ioane, who performed the role of the villain following his spat with Johnny Sexton.

But Fresh Zealand, who have performed 9 Assessments – including the Rugby Championship – since Eire’s closing day out, looked sharper and further cohesive, and would have been pissed off with only a 3-point half of-time lead.

Given their territory dominance and the presence of lethal finishers Jordan and Imprint Tele’a in their support three, a hat-trick of McKenzie penalties was the minimal they would possibly maybe have extracted from the first half of.

The complexion was significantly altered, on the opposite hand, when Barrett was despatched to the bin for a excessive hit on his soon-to-be Leinster crew-mate Ringrose.

Image source, Getty Photography

With Barrett off and Farrell having presumably given his players a rocket at half of-time, Eire were a various crew when they emerged for the second half of.

Inner three minutes, they scored the sport’s first are trying, working the ball to Van der Flier after Sam Cane had been caught on his line to present Eire the platform from a five-metre scrum.

While the 2022 World Participant of the three hundred and sixty five days’s rating was anticipated to assign of residing up a twentieth consecutive dwelling catch for Eire, the dwelling aspect persevered to concede penalties in scoreable positions, permitting McKenzie – who replaced concussed Beauden Barrett at out-half of – to add 9 extra aspects to assign Fresh Zealand 18-13 ahead.

And there was to be no stirring comeback from the hosts. As an alternative, Fresh Zealand build the Irish defence under stress and worked the ball to the left for Jordan to dive over the road.

No longer only did it verify Eire’s first dwelling defeat since the 2021 Six Countries, it tightens the All Blacks’ grip on this heavyweight rivalry and places stress on Eire earlier than video games towards Argentina, Fiji and Australia.

Eire: Keenan; Hansen, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe; Crowley, Gibson-Park; Porter, Kelleher, Bealham; McCarthy, Ryan; Beirne, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).

Replacements: Herring, Healy, O’Toole, Henderson, O’Mahony, Murray, Frawley, Osborne.

Fresh Zealand: Jordan; Tele’a, Ioane, J Barrett, Clarke; McKenzie, Ratima; Williams, Aumua, Lomax, S Barrett (capt), Vaa’i, Sititi, Cane, Savea.

Replacements: Bell, Tu’ungafasi, Tosi, Tuipulotu, Finau, Roigard, Leinert-Brown, Stephen Perofeta.

Sin-bin: J Barrett (39)

Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)

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