Sexton’s joy at Farrell fighters history lesson
N Zealand 12 Ireland 23
ANDREW PORTER scored a try in each half as Ireland stunned the All Blacks in Dunedin with a first-ever win on New Zealand soil.
And while there were no wild celebrations; no lap of honour nor anything remotely resembling the rapturous scenes which followed that famous win in Chicago in 2016, Ireland’s first ever over mighty New Zealand, there was no hiding Johnny Sexton’s delight on a special day for Irish rugby.
‘Any time you create a little bit of history it means a lot,’ he said. ‘It’s a very, very special day for everyone in the country. We talk a lot about making people at home feel very proud of us and it’s right at the top of our lists.
‘I’m unbelievably happy with the win. No Irish team has ever done it before and it’s all on the line next week.’
Sexton, who satisfied concussion protocols to start and played down concerns about tweaking a knee late on, admitted he feared the worst during the interval. ‘The effort we put in last week, we didn’t get the rewards,’ said the Leinster man, who turns 37 on Monday.
‘Same effort again this week and it was touch and go at times but the reaction in the second half was superb. To score with 14 men, to bounce back like we did was great and we stayed in the moment.’
This was further proof of the strides taken under Andy Farrell and now they have a chance of a remarkable comeback series win in Wellington next weekend.
Porter’s pair of tries paved the way for the landmark triumph, with Sexton kicking 13 points to prevent a fightback by New Zealand, who paid a price for a disjointed and undisciplined display.
Their repeated indiscretions included replacement prop Angus Ta’avao receiving a 31st-minute red card for ploughing into the head of Garry Ringrose, after Leicester Fainga’anuku and Ofa Tu’ungafasi had been sinbinned. Ireland’s momentous victory at Forsyth Barr Stadium followed 12 previous defeats on New Zealand soil. Loosehead prop Porter powered over inside three minutes to give the tourists a dream start and an advantage they would never surrender.
Yet Farrell’s men led only 10-7 at the end of a chaotic first half in which the All Blacks had Ta’avao deservedly dismissed and lost Tu’ungafasi and Fainga’anuku for 10-minute spells. Beauden Barrett’s improvised score brought the hosts back within touching distance, while a yellow card for Ireland vice-captain James Ryan temporarily evened up the numbers going into the second period.
Porter’s second try just after the restart calmed nerves before Sexton’s flawless kicking display guided the Irish home, prior to Will Jordan’s consolation try.
Ireland head coach Farrell was beaming. ‘We talk a lot about inspiring people back home and these lads keep turning up and knocking down doors,’ he said.
‘The most special thing about tonight is no other Irish side will get the chance to do that again, will they?
‘We didn’t get sucked into the allure of the game of 13 men, 14 men, trying to play from everywhere. We kept them pinned down
and the territory gain and the game control was outstanding.
‘It was a courageous effort. We kept playing the right game and the right parts of the field and applying pressure and I’m so proud of them. There’s a series to be won.’
New Zealand head coach Ian Foster described the defeat as an eye-opener.
‘That try at the start of the second half hurt us,’ he admitted. ‘But you know there was probably an unacceptable amount of errors in terms of the handling stuff. I think it’s a bit of an eye-opener.’