BONE DEEP ‘Woefully flawed’ All Blacks cop it after series defeat
It was always going to happen – the world media piling on the All Blacks, while soaking the deserved Irish in praise, after their historic series win on Saturday night.
Last week, it was the All Blacks’ aura being ‘‘well and truly smashed’’ in the aftermath of their defeat in Dunedin.
This week, Ian Foster’s rabble have been labelled ‘‘woefully flawed’’ after spitting out a lame duck performance at Sky Stadium.
Here’s how the foreign scribes saw it.
Peter O’Reilly, The Times UK Ireland created history for the second week running, improving on their first victory over the All Blacks out here by clinching the series 2-1 with a thoroughly deserved victory built on an astonishingly dominant first half and then some devilish defence when the inevitable ‘‘Blacklash’’ came after the break.
By scoring three tries in the third quarter, the All Blacks – inspired by the carrying of Ardie Savea and Akira Ioane – gave Ireland a real fright. Ultimately, however, this is a New Zealand team who have been exposed as woefully flawed by an inspired touring team.
Peter Jackson, Irish Examiner Tasked with rating the players across both teams on a scale of one and 10, Jackson gave a smattering of All Blacks 4s, captain Sam Cane a 5, and Ardie Savea a team-high 7.5.
‘‘New Zealand does not take kindly to captains who lose any match, let alone who loses a home three-test series for the first time since the Wallabies at Eden Park in 1986. Unable to change the course of the game, his inevitable substitution leaves his future as captain in some doubt.’’
As for the Irish, lock Tadhg Beirne, who made a series of outstanding clutch defensive plays down the stretch, got the perfect 10.
‘‘The tougher it got, the more he stood up to be counted: a rare feat from a rare player always to be found in the heat of the action turning All Black after All Black over. Impossible to over-estimate his uncanny ability to turn defence into attack whether it was at the breakdown or picking off an All Black pass.
Foster said twice that he would rather just talk about the game.
‘‘I just want to talk about this test match,’’ he said.
An All Blacks media manager stepped in when Foster was asked if he wanted to remain All Blacks coach.
Foster is contracted through to next year’s Rugby World Cup.
Monumental.’’
Ben Coles, Telegraph UK Ireland outclassed the All Blacks in New Zealand, a statement which would have seemed utterly fanciful in the past. The first 40 minutes may well go down as the best in Irish rugby history. It was a procession.
But the result was not shocking, a sign of how far Ireland have come and indeed how far New Zealand have fallen.
All the talk in the buildup centred on how New Zealand would respond to a first-ever defeat to Ireland at home, and they did come up with a spirited effort – but only after trailing 22-3 at halftime, their biggest deficit at the interval since the dawn of test rugby.
That abysmal first half, when New Zealand couldn’t catch a cold, left the All Blacks with a mountain to climb, a feat they couldn’t manage despite three second-half tries.
The increase in quality from New Zealand in the second half from the first was significant, no question. But this was Ireland’s day, their series, delivering an utterly astonishing performance packed with resolve and quality.
Winning in New Zealand once seemed impossible. No longer.
The All Blacks lost the series against Ireland 2-1 after falling to a 32-22 defeat in the deciding match in Wellington.
They trailed 22-3 at halftime after producing one of their worst first-half performances in recent memory.
A late comeback never eventuated despite scoring three tries in the second half to close the deficit to five points at one stage before Ireland pulled away to clinch back-to-back wins.
Tries to Akira Ioane and Will Jordan which came in quick succession were scored when Ireland had been reduced to 14 men following the sin-binning of prop Andrew Porter for a head collision with Brodie Retallick.
Retallick broke a cheekbone during the collision and is now in serious doubt for the Rugby Championship, which is due to begin with two tests against the Springboks in South Africa early next month.
Ireland have conquered the All Blacks.
Gerry Thornley, Irish Times Hail the Ireland tourists of 2022. The history makers.
Having become just the fifth country, and sixth team including the Lions, to beat the All Blacks on New Zealand soil, Ireland joined an equally select group in winning a series in New Zealand, something that only the Lions, South Africa, France and Australia have ever done.
To put this achievement into context, perhaps the high watermark in the history of Irish rugby, the All Blacks have hosted 62 series, and this is only the fifth time they have lost one, and the first since France in 1994, making it the first away series win over the All Blacks of the professional age and, quite possibly, the last ever as well. Wow.
What’s more, Johnny Sexton and his team did so by coming from 1-0 down in the series with two deserved wins, reserving their best until last as Andy Farrell had hoped in this pulsating decider.
The thousands in green came to the front of all four stands for the lap of honour. Maybe the win of all Irish wins.*