Sun 6 Nov 2016 | 12:02
Ireland break drought to upset New Zealand for the first time ever

45
Comments

It took them 29 attempts and 111 years but Ireland finally got their first win over the All Blacks, and it was well deserved. Chicago played host for the historic match, as Ireland played some thrilling rugby to beat the world champions 40-29.

Ireland were inspired on the day, no doubt in part by legend Anthony Foley, who passed away a few weeks back. The Irish team formed a figure eight while facing the Haka, paying respects.

"Obviously, there was a lot of emotion and the Munster boys got a lot from that," said skipper Rory Best. "It was just an emotionally charged day for us.

"Ultimately, we did a lot of our work earlier in the week so we could draw on a bit of that emotion. You've got to take a moment every time you make history.

"It's quite hard to sit here and talk about what's a massive thing for us. It's a massive mark of the respect to the All Blacks that beating them means so much to us because they are such a quality side and they've shown it.

"There's been a lot of great teams and great players that have got really close but just haven't been able to finish it. We're a tight group, we're very well coached and that showed today."

Kiwi coached Ireland will need to refocus again ahead of November 19th, when they face the All Blacks again, that time at home in Dublin.

"I actually said something inadvertently during the week like 'If you win here I don't really care too much about what you do for the rest of the series'. So I've put my foot in it there!" said coach Joe Schmidt.

"I really thought the players did themselves proud, but to be fair they did Axel proud and his family, and they did their country proud."

45 Comments

  • oldflyhalf
    8:51 AM 15/11/2016

    Thank you, sir, long time Shakspeare is universal and he is at home anywhere there is a touch of elementary culture.
    You definitely right when you say that the Irish had 100% faith and determination in their chance to change a state of affairs that lasts 111 years. They are admirable!

    "I don't think they will be any more aggressive than they normally are but I just think they'll be sharper and to be honest, there were probably a couple of times at 33-29 where they put balls down or we were in trouble." Joe Schmidt. QED. :)

  • drg
    12:59 AM 14/11/2016

    See your nomination and raise you a "player of the year 2016 winner"....

  • joeythelemur
    3:23 AM 11/11/2016

    I guess you should take it up with World Rugby then, somehow this unproven player has been nominated for player of the year!

  • stroudos
    11:05 AM 10/11/2016

    Fair play, you don't see many Shakespeare references on Rugbydump comments.

    I think it is testament to Ireland's collective mental strength and determination in this game that they kept their composure and kept playing flat out to the end.

  • drg
    7:14 PM 09/11/2016

    Actually Vlad, that is a very good point!!

    The usual scenario is AB's get penalised, then they change up their cynical play and perform another penalty, but they can't be punished because it was different to the prior one.... So they can sort of continue the trend without it getting any worse. But yes as you said with a referee stating that he's done with foolishness instantly, it left the kiwis having to reassess a very clever tactic.

  • kg2
    3:21 PM 09/11/2016

    Savea gets in no doubt.
    Folau clearly beats out everyone else at 15 so no Ben Smith
    Barrett is in with a good shout, just cos no number 10's shining right now.
    Smith and Perenara do little to distinguish themselves from a wide pack of useful if unexceptional number 9's such as Danny Care, Ben Youngs, Conor Murray, de Klerk, Phipps etc
    So basically Savea strolls in to this world team, BB squeezes in and the rest is a lottery!

  • kg2
    3:14 PM 09/11/2016

    Those '50 caps' are very shallow. I couldn't find (though I tried) any definitive total game-time stats for BB. It looks like he's started circa 13 games as out-half (via Wikipedia). NZ's long slow induction of players into the AB's is very helpful for the individuals but totally blows-up the amount of real caps/actual game-time/experience they have.
    Again dividing these international players wrt their peers means Ben Smith is in the top few in the world but by no means an automatic 1st choice when compared to people like Folau and Halfpenny, whereas Savea is the best winger in the world, and has been for a few years.
    The best backline in the world had NZ players at 10, 12, 13+14 and now with only Savea left the AB's HAVE to take a hit.

  • vladimir
    1:15 PM 09/11/2016

    There is a broad consensus about this type of 'maul collapsing over the line'. Unless there are some defending players beneath, the ref asks the TMO 'Is there a reason not to award the try', just to double-check.
    Before the TMO, ref always awarded the try in such cases unless they actually saw it prevented.

  • vladimir
    1:14 PM 09/11/2016

    There is a broad consensus about this type of 'maul collapsing over the line'. Unless there are some defending players beneath, the ref asks the TMO 'Is there a reason not to award the try', just to double-check.
    Before the TMO, ref always awarded the try in such cases unless they actually saw it prevented.

  • jeri
    4:52 AM 09/11/2016

    Good point DrG almost forgot about that (and that 60-0 was done without Carter and McCaw too). I'm sure we all agree that the All Blacks are certainly beatable - they lost the Wallabies just last year.

    The question everyone has in their mind now, and the Irish will answer it for us come Dublin, is whether the All Blacks are domitable.

    Here's my ideal scenario, the All Blacks unleash some of their frustrations on the poor Italians, then head to Dublin, and the the mental states of the two teams are calibrated just right for a close game.

    Of course being an AB supporter, I hope the ABs eventually come out on top.

  • joeythelemur
    1:23 AM 09/11/2016

    My one question was on the Irish try from the driving maul early in the game. The ref didn't give a try on the field and went to the TMO. Every angle they showed in the stadium just showed a pile of bodies and no view of the ball and thus no grounding. Maybe there was another view that they didn't show on-site but without clear evidence of grounding, I didn't think a ref could award a try. Do I have it wrong?

  • hedderball
    11:29 PM 08/11/2016

    Not to mention the women the year before!

  • vladimir
    9:57 PM 08/11/2016

    Great year for Ireland, after the big guys follow the example of their U20.

  • vladimir
    9:53 PM 08/11/2016

    I see what you mean. The difference I think, is that this time the AB were yellow carded straight ahead and did not escape suspiciously. That immediately set the tone with the referee so they could not do their usual numerous infringements in the red zone to prevent attacking play, or pratice dark arts at the maul or the ruck. I noticed that they commited less at the ruck afterwards, and they went very quiet when their prop came close to a red card (after a high tackle).

  • oldflyhalf
    8:28 PM 08/11/2016

    Min. 64, 33-29. Another 15 minutes to play and the men in black haven't managed to score a try?! ...strange, something is rotten in Denmark. :)

  • drg
    8:10 PM 08/11/2016

    Well that's true, I wonder if NZ will respond to this loss by taking their anger out on the poor boys in blue...(or white?!)...

    In which case it may actually work in Ireland's favour if the kiwis use their frustration and get a satisfying slaughter against Italy..

  • reality
    7:16 PM 08/11/2016

    Hear hear.

  • drg
    3:30 PM 08/11/2016

    How did everyone view the refereeing in this match?

    I did my best to catch the game but there were parts I missed and parts I wasn't paying attention to, just wondering if any kiwis felt aggrieved by any decisions in particular (this is a free pass to voice opinions without it seeming like sour grapes).

    I can't say I was aware of anything in particular, but it did feel that they were getting penalised more than usual.... which I guess amounts to like 5 penalties or something, rather than their usual 1.... :p

  • drg
    3:25 PM 08/11/2016

    Jeri, a close match WOULD be exciting... It's more the example I saw (just googled and bloody hell, it was years ago!) 2012, in the Ireland tour:

    9th June 2012 - 42-10 to the kiwis...

    Big win, then Ireland really stepped up their game and it was a hell of a game, they eventually went down 22-19... but the crowd was thrilled, the expectations for the up and coming final test where Ireland were GOING to repeat the performance and get that much desired win...

    ...which ended in a 60-0 defeat....

    Like I said.... a close came would be wonderful to see.... but I am concerned about how mad the kiwis will be about their loss and what they will turn it into hahaha.


    All that being said, if Ireland do get another win, or even a very close defeat, it may just open the doors for the world to realise that the world number 1, isn't unbeatable...

  • drg
    3:19 PM 08/11/2016

    Andy: "Come on Ireland, you see that miserable looking little git wearing the 10 shirt... give him a hell of a hiding, he gets so wound up it's hilarious..."

    ....just hopefully there isn't a fly half swap which will land poor George Ford in the firing line...

  • stroudos
    2:50 PM 08/11/2016

    KG2, you set out a bold hypothesis and argue the point well, but I'm afraid I can't agree with your conclusions.
    - Aaron Smith is bloody brilliant, just a bit preoccupied with clunge at the moment; in my opinion Perenara could be even better - and he leads a hair-raising Haka too.
    - Your assessment of Beauden Barrett is simply wrong. I don't get how you arrived at that. He's an amazing player, misses a few kicks but makes up for that with menacing attacking play.
    - 12 and 13 - OK I'm not particularly au fait with this area. Couple of questions - what happened to Leinart-Brown? Thought he and Crotty were a good combo. And what is SBW up to these days? Also, can't think of the names, but in the Mitre Cup recently there seemed to be a lot of dangerous-looking centres on show. The depth is there, my feeling is it's more a case of getting the right combination/s.
    - Ben Smith, not a game-changer!?

  • stroudos
    2:25 PM 08/11/2016

    You're absolutely right and I'd emphasise the mental strength required.
    Ireland seemed very keenly aware of this and hats off for the way they "kept the pedal to the metal", but even then the bloody All Blacks very nearly got back into this! And lest we forget - with my apologies for being a bloody buzzkill - the final score difference was basically the points Ireland scored when NZ were down to 14 men...

  • jonnyenglish
    1:56 PM 08/11/2016

    Quite right. Well done Ireland - any win over NZ is one to remember.

  • stroudos
    1:42 PM 08/11/2016

    Corrected for you:
    Read would probably be the captain.


    You're welcome. :)

  • stroudos
    1:27 PM 08/11/2016

    I'm more concerned about the bloodbath we'll see in Italy this weekend!

  • stroudos
    1:25 PM 08/11/2016

    I'm seeing a lot of very gracious comments from New Zealand fans over the last couple of days. Even on YouTube! Hats off, very impressed.

  • stroudos
    1:22 PM 08/11/2016

    I haven't seen any English press or individual suggesting an England-dominated Lions squad. Not that it would happen under Gatland anyway!

    Seems I missed the memo about Andy Farrell becoming Ireland Defence coach. That'll be interesting next Six Nations, considering his son is de facto defence leader for England...

  • jeri
    5:39 AM 08/11/2016

    Well that's all the more reason to be excited about another close match. As much as All Blacks will be playing with intensified ferocity, so too will the Irish, who'll be playing at home.

  • jeri
    5:29 AM 08/11/2016

    Well done Ireland

    Bugger

  • getitout
    12:52 AM 08/11/2016

    Aaron Smith, Perenara, Barrett, Savea and Ben Smith would all be serious contenders for a starting place in a world XV in my opinion... Coles, Retallick would be shoo-ins and Read would probably be at least on the bench. Not sure how any team with that many class players can't be 'great'!

    Hats off to Ireland, they looked superb. The fixture in Dublin will be an absolute cracker!

  • joeythelemur
    11:11 PM 07/11/2016

    Sorry, of course 10-1 is what I wanted to say. :-)

  • joeythelemur
    10:49 PM 07/11/2016

    Totally disagree. Everyone expected NZ to take that dip after the World Cup, but they've played 11 tests this year and have gone 11-1. You seem to ascribe this success to "deep rugby culture" but they have known for a while that there was to be a huge turnover after 2015 and they have prepared. One loss at a neutral site to an excellent Irish team doesn't change that (and doesn't mean that they will "struggle again"). England is improving, but don't get in a hurry to anoint them.

    Calling Barrett unproven is frankly ridiculous. He's at nearly 50 caps and was the key cog that finally led the Hurricanes to the Super Rugby championship, and he's far more than a "few flash runs". He's been outstanding all year and would probably be the starting 10 for every other international side. Aaron Smith is solid, though he's clearly in a bit of a muddle right now; I actually think Perenara is the better 9 and he showed it when he came off the bench on Saturday. Savea and Dagg are an impressive wing combo and Ben Smith is world class. Crotty is up and down but seemed to be the only one with his head on straight this weekend before he got injured. They are still searching for a solid 12 & 13 combination but that always takes time in any team.

    And I agree with hedderball that their pack is just as impressive, but currently going through a trough with injuries at the moment. Ireland had a great gameplan and showed that NZ are human; pressure doesn't always get to NZ, but sometimes it does. I'm guessing they'll bounce back, but should be a really interesting match in Dublin in 2 weeks!

  • joeythelemur
    8:42 PM 07/11/2016

    Yeah, that was weird.

  • hedderball
    8:09 PM 07/11/2016

    I think that is mostly drivel i'm sorry to say. First off, never mind the backs - the forwards win the games and they're pretty well stocked there. I'd take Whitelock and Retallick over any other locking combination in the world. I think the backrow of Read, Caino and Cane is very well balanced with Ardie Savea providing impact off the bench. Coles is a different class to most hookers.

    As for the backs I think you're being a bit harsh. You didn't mention Dagg who is still class. You've also Rieko Ioane to come in, probably next year if he continues with his current development.

    I also think that when the Lions go touring against the provincial teams you'll see that the talent locker is pretty well stocked.

  • guy
    5:10 PM 07/11/2016

    Actually, I am quite convinced of the complete opposite. They might be lacking world class players in some areas (although I would consider Ben Smith and Beauden Barret amongst others world class) and they might have lost a few legends of the game but at the moment they are, as a whole, defenitely greater than the sum of it's parts. And imho that's what makes a great team.

  • jimmy23
    3:08 PM 07/11/2016

    I'm sure it won't be as embarrassing as the "fiddle" version of Ireland's Call we were treated to before the match 0_o

  • drg
    1:22 PM 07/11/2016

    It sounds awful doesn't it, I mean Ireland had to take the win in front of them. They broke NZ winning streak, they stopped the drought against NZ.so those are all immense achievements, but I have haunting memories of a few years ago when Ireland came close to NZ in the first game and then got obliterated and made to look like primary school children in the subsequent games.

    If NZ do win the next game in Dublin then I thoroughly hope it is a close one and not an embarrassing whitewash.

  • heavyhooker
    12:56 PM 07/11/2016

    The ABs seem to be trained to play full-bore all out physical and mental rugby for 90 minutes while most teams start to wane at about the 60 to 70 minute mark. Over the past couple of years the ABs have had some good challenges in the first half and into the second, but then it seems while the ABs keep going strong, the other teams start to take penalties, make defensive mistakes and generally tire out. I think the raw skills and team strengths are there in the other teams, just not the stamina to keep it strong for more than the 80 minutes needed. The more teams that can do this, the more the ABs will be back against the fence.

  • kg2
    11:54 AM 07/11/2016

    I genuinely (100% not trolling) think this isn't a great NZ side. Losing players like Dan C and Maa N and Conrad S is a huge loss to them. Don't hit me with stats as this team didn't create those stats!

    Sticking with the backs (which I know best) currently

    9-Smith-slightly better than average
    10-B Barrett-unproven-a few flash runs don't make an international fly-half. Lots of potential but could be another George Ford or Quade Cooper-look great for a few games less so when teams figure them out
    12+13-Crotty and Feikitoa-distinctly average
    14-Noholo-average
    11-Savea-exceptional
    15 B Smith-very good but not exceptional, not a game-changer like Savea

    vs even a few months ago when NZ had exceptional players at 10, 11, 12, 13 + a very good player at 15-this was a tremendous backline, it won't be easily replaced.

    Same with Mc Caw, I can never imagine him giving up a simple switch pass into a try as Ireland did to win the game.

    NZ are still winning games due to their deep rugby culture which optimises their talent and means they are better than other teams at
    -knowing what to do (e.g. when to tackle, when to hit a ruck, when NOT to do things etc)
    -executing simple skills off the ball (tackling, clear-outs)
    -ball handling skills (esp. in their forwards) esp when 'in tight'and in the 'red zone'
    -ruthless personnel changes if results underwhelming
    -they also work at a greater pace
    -used to cheat when they had to
    -belief/mystique etc

    But I'd suggest that this crop just lacks some of the rare skills found in the last bunch. You just don't get a Carter, Non'u, Smith, Savea all at one go commonly, even for NZ. Right now they have a talent dearth (relatively speaking) and will struggle again. Only the long-term weakening of rugby in SA and Australia and France might hide this, whereas a resurgent England will push them in 2018. 8 forwards who will be better athletes (if not better ball-players) and backline that will be as good or better unless NZ find some talent!

  • jimmy23
    9:33 AM 07/11/2016

    My thoughts exactly. I feel nothing but happiness for the Irish at the moment, but the All Blacks are renowned for their bounce backs. As wonderful as it would be, I find it hard to see a repeat result in Dublin.

  • drg
    9:26 AM 07/11/2016

    Well done to Ireland...but... If previous performances are anything to go by, I wonder if the Irish have opened Pandora's box which might lead to a blood bath in Dublin...

  • pete
    1:19 AM 07/11/2016

    Well done Ireland, well done!

    You fought fire with fire and beat us at our own game.

    Obviously missed our locking duo as our line out was woeful and perhaps a lack of experience and composure when we tried to mount our come back late in the game but the beater team won on the day.

    The follow up in Dublin should be a cracker!

  • mastersa
    8:36 PM 06/11/2016

    5 tries all different. No kicking the leather off the ball. Had all the P's possession, pressure, passing and passion with bags of cleverness. Irelands set piece never dipped below even but mostly bordering on better. That said the misfiring AB's had our minds squarely fix on 2013 at the 65 mark such is their quality and the knowledge that they could go flat out like forever. Pain relief was finally administered in overdose levels by Hheeennnssshhhaaaww. 50 years from now approximatley 1 million Irish men and women will tell the story of how they attended this match.

  • hedderball
    5:22 PM 06/11/2016

    I have to say I think the ABs had that coming to them. There have been a few very close games against Ireland in recent times - 2013 the most obvious but also the following year in NZ as well. The locks were seriously missed - but in fairness what team wouldn't miss Retallick who must be one of the world's MVPs. Massive credit goes to Schmidt for his simple game plan which was executed to perfection but also the work that Farrell has done on D really showed - the lads clearly have taken up his system from the summer and improved on it. What was also a serious positive was the amount of youth in the team - Furlong, McGrath, Dillane, VDF, Murphy, Henshaw and Ringrose (even if he didn't get on). That's a core that can really be built on.

    It will be interesting to see whether the English press still predict 15 English starters in the Lions!

  • joeythelemur
    4:11 PM 06/11/2016

    Absolutely a cracker of a match and Ireland 100% deserving. All Blacks were clearly off their game due to the Irish pressure; Murray, Sexton, Kearney were all fantastic, but I'm actually hard pressed to think of anyone in green that didn't have a solid game.

    Joe Moody had a shocker, the ABs lineout was the worst I've ever seen (at least until they started throwing short in the second half), and missing several of their key locks really hurt them. All credit to Ireland though.

    Feeling blessed that I live close enough to be there in person, what an historic week in Chicago! Really happy for all the Ireland fans.