FIRST TEST:THE TOUR starts now, a feeling that was reinforced yesterday as the Irish squad took two separate short-hop flights from Auckland to New Plymouth, where the All Blacks have been lying in wait since the beginning of the week for Ireland's latest tilt at history.
Ireland’s most recent of 21 defeats in 22 winless games against the All Blacks in November 2008 represented an alarm call for the Declan Kidney regime in just its second game. The memories linger and when asked what he learned from that day Kidney didn’t take a second to answer.
“Not to fill our head with too much information. You have to be ready for the physical battle. I suppose we were new into it, there were loads of things we wanted to impart. We’re 18 months down the track here now, we’ve done our bit of work.”
Having crammed in their studies on Monday and Tuesday, and they wouldn’t have been alone in that, the last two days before match day were set aside for light revision.
David Wallace spoke earlier in the week of the need to ignore history, but it must be hard not to be acutely aware that for him, John Hayes, Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara and others, this could be their last chance to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand. Kidney admits as much.
“I just know it’s going to be a hell of a party the night we beat them,” he said, smiling, “and given that party at home will start at about 10am! But that’s why you get into it. Ireland are going to beat New Zealand sometime and this is our chance on Saturday.”
As to why Ireland have never beaten the All Blacks in 105 years, Kidney drew an apt analogy. “At the moment there’s not a whole lot of counties would go in to Kilkenny and beat Kilkenny. It’s their number one game and that’s what with New Zealand. It’s part of their culture, it’s part of their heritage and that makes it all the more challenging. But this is why you get into it. For some reason these are the ones that, I don’t know, I enjoy these ones.”
The Irish squad left behind clear blue skies and temperatures in the mid-teens 360 kilometres further up the north island to be hit with wind and rain amid the stunning slopes, rolling hills and winding roads of Taranaki.
With the forecast promising more of the same, and Euro semi-final weekend an open invitation to attack Irish scrums, perhaps this explains why Steve Hansen, now restored as All Blacks’ forwards coach after a stint as backs coach, has bullishly declared: “I think we can physically dominate Ireland with that tight five.”
Bring it on was Gert Smal’s response. “It’s a tough challenge playing one of the best scrumming packs in world rugby, but I think the Irish are very like the South Africans and we like a challenge like that, especially if people are saying it openly in the press.
“So, with my experiences of the Irish, and I’ve had some great ones over the last two years, they can go and fetch when nobody else can fetch it, so I hope that we can keep that culture in the team and that will come through on Saturday.”
Although a northern hemisphere referee, Wayne Barnes, is in charge, Les Kiss has been preparing his team for the changed southern emphasis on the tackle area with regard to tacklers releasing ball carriers when they hit the ground and the stricter interpretation of the offside line.
Nor is Kiss worried about the Englishman becoming a centre of attention this week, with prime time news replaying the forward pass by Damien Traille to Frederic Michalak in the build-up to the match-winning try by Yannick Jazuion in the World Cup quarter-final. But, recalling Barnes’ performance when Ireland completed the Grand Slam in Wales last year and France’s win over Ireland in Paris this year, his presence is a concern.
But for all those interpretations, the key, as ever, remains fairly uncomplicated. “There’s a lot of stuff about the emphasis on law, just adapting to that is going to be key at Test level,” said Kiss, “but generally fronting up physically. The fact is they’re playing on their home turf, they’re always hard to beat, we keep the emotions about what it means to us in check, we just get the job done. Front up physically, that’s the base line.”
The All Blacks did lose their annual opener on this same weekend against France last year but that was without their two totems, Richie McCaw and Dan Carter. Furthermore, the absence of a finalist in the Super 14 a week ago has given them a clearer run-in to this game.
Their stunning win in Marseilles last time out completed a four-game Euro clean sweep in which they didn’t concede one try.
Admittedly, injuries have forced them to make seven changes to that team, but Ireland have been equally hard hit and to compound their own record against the All Blacks, the four home unions have lost 25 games in succession away to the Tri Nations since the 2003 World Cup final.
Ireland clearly have the bit between their teeth, look well prepared and have still named a strong physical side (you look at a back three of Andrew Trimble, Rob Kearney and Tommy Bowe) which looks set to meet fire with fire and contest the collisions right across the park, though Trimble may well be targeted in what is liable to be a slug fest and a kick fest. Ireland may well be more competitive than the bookies feel, but it’s just hard to ignore those scrum fears, or all that historical baggage.
Replacements
NEW ZEALAND: 16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Zac Guildford.
IRELAND: 16 John Fogarty, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Dan Tuohy, 19 Shane Jennings, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Jonathan Sexton, 22 Geordan Murphy.
Previous meetings: Played 22; New Zealand 21, Ireland 0, Draws 1.
Last five meetings: (2005) Ireland 7 New Zealand 45. (2006) New Zealand 34 Ireland 23, New Zealand 27 Ireland 17. (2008) New Zealand 21 Ireland 3; Ireland 3 New Zealand 22.
Last five games: New Zealand, 32-19 v Australia (Japan); 19-12 v Wales (a); 20-6 v Italy (a); 19-6 v England (a), 39-12 v France (a). Ireland, 29-11 v Italy (h); 10-33 v France (a); 20-16 v England (a); 27-12 v Wales (h); 20-23 v Scotland (h).
Betting: New Zealand 1/10, 30/1 Draw, 11/2 Ireland. Handicap odds (Ireland +13pts) 10/11 New Zealand, 25/1 Draw, 10/11 Ireland.
Forecast: New Zealand to win.
