Andy Farrell’s squad of 2022 have achieved what no other team in green has in the forty-six years since Ireland rugby first set foot in New Zealand in 1976 – an away win. Six years after their first victory over New Zealand in more than a century of trying, Ireland have now won four of the last seven encounters with the three-times world champions, becoming the first Northern Hemisphere team since France’s 27-22 win in 2009 to claim a victory here.
Following the pulverising defeat at Eden Park, Farrell kept faith with his squad who repaid him with a performance of greater physicality and penetration against an All Black team reeling from Irish efforts and their own ill-discipline.
A double from the most unlikely of sources, prop Andrew Porter, early in each half allowed the visitors to first take the lead then extend it. The second came as New Zealand appeared to be getting an unlikely toe-hold with a Beauden Barrett try on 39 minutes after yellow cards for Leicester Fainga’anuku’s dangerous chargedown on Mack Hansen, an early tackle by Ofa Tu’ungafasi on Gary Ringrose, and a red for Angus Ta’avao for a reckless head on head tackle, again with the Ireland centre. This loss of personnel was compounded by Ian Foster mistakenly removing Ardie Savea from the game in the midst of the plethora of cards on the half hour, no doubt believing he would be allowed to return. He was not.
A lesser team than the All Blacks would have conceded more under the first-half Irish barrage; instead they withstood while depriving the tourists of any points at all after a tenth minute Sexton conversion, before Barrett struck that psychological and scoreboard blow close to half-time.
This was the tester for an Ireland team that could not assert itself and became frustrated last week, but after Porter’s early second-half try calmed fevered nerves, Sexton kicked two more penalties to make it comfortable. An enjoyable position a yellow card for James Ryan and a late try for Will Jordan could not shake them from.
After over one-hundred years’ wait, they’ll enjoy it all the more.
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