What’s happening?
Ireland will play the New Zealand All Blacks in the Autumn Nations Series. It is Ireland’s first outing in this year’s four-game series, which will also see them play Argentina (November 15th), Fiji (November 23rd) and Australia (November 30th).
When and where?
The game will be played at the Aviva Stadium this Friday, November 8th, kicking off at 8.10pm. Ireland’s games against Argentina, Fiji and Australia are also set for the Aviva.
Have we any team news yet?
Not yet. Both teams will be announced on Wednesday.
What we do know is that Caelan Doris will captain Ireland for the series, taking over from Peter O’Mahony, who joined the squad at their training camp in Portugal after Munster’s 38-24 loss to the All Blacks XV on Saturday. Scott Robertson will be without Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor after they both went off with head injuries during their win against England on Saturday.
Does Munster’s new coach need to be Irish?
We’ll update here when Friday’s sides are announced, but for now, here’s the 40-man squad Andy Farrell named for the series:
Forwards: Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Caelan Doris (capt), Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Dave Heffernan, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Cormac Izuchukwu*, Rónan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, Peter O’Mahony, Tom O’Toole, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Nick Timoney, Josh van der Flier.
Backs: Bundee Aki, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash, Jamie Osborne, Sam Prendergast*, Garry Ringrose, Jacob Stockdale.
Training panellists: Thomas Clarkson*, Alex Kendellen*, Shayne Bolton*, Jack Boyle*, Gus McCarthy*.
*player is uncapped
[ All Blacks respect Ireland’s ability but see them as whiners who overcelebrateOpens in new window ]
[ Denis Walsh: The All Blacks forced us to change our ways and be more like themOpens in new window ]
How are we shaping up?
Ireland last met the All Blacks in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, suffering a 28-24 defeat. It still hurts.
In terms of our record against New Zealand, sample-size matters. If you take our last five games against the All Blacks, a fair measure of how things currently stand, Ireland have three wins and two losses. Stretch it out to the last 10 games and things are still looking good , Ireland winning five times. But zoom all the way out to get a fuller view of the 37 fixtures in which the sides have met it becomes a staggering 31-5 split in favour of the Kiwis with a single draw back in 1973. While it may not reflect where this rivalry is currently at, it’s still a sobering statistic.
Results in last five games:
- November 13th, 2021 (Dublin) – IRE 29 NZ 20
- July 2nd, 2022 (Auckland) – NZ 42 IRE 19
- July 9th, 2022 (Dunedin) – NZ 12 IRE 23
- July 16th, 2022 (Wellington) – NZ 22 IRE 32
- October 14th, 2023 (Paris) – IRE 24 NZ 28
Going into this series, Ireland are once again the number one-ranked team in the world, above current world champions South Africa in second and our Kiwi visitors in third. However, being ranked above the All Blacks meant very little when we met them last (Ireland were first to NZ’s fourth ahead of the quarter-final in Paris).
At the weekend, the All Blacks got their tour off to a winning start, beating Steve Borthwick’s side 24-22 in Twickenham. The outcome could easily have went the other way though, if it weren’t for the upright denying George Ford a penalty and a missed drop-goal attempt. New Zealand looked off-colour in London so it’ll be interesting to see how they emerge on Friday.
Can I still get tickets?
Nice try. Tickets for this game were always bound to be snapped up good and quick.
In July, Irish Rugby confirmed tickets had sold out after being distributed among rugby clubs and the Irish Rugby Supports Club presale.
[ Matt Williams: New Zealand are suffering an existential crisis of identityOpens in new window ]
If you’re eager to head along to a game during the series, there are still some tickets available for the fixtures against Argentina, Fiji and Australia, all of which will also be played at the Aviva.
But as for this Friday, you’re out of luck.
How can I watch?
The game will be shown live on Virgin Media One and the Virgin Media Player, with coverage from 7pm.
What are the conditions looking like?
Dublin in November and it’s looking like rain. Go figure.
Patchy showers are expected early in the day but it should clear up some bit heading into the evening. Temperatures are set to drop to around 10 degrees by the time the match kicks off, so if you’re heading to the Aviva wrap up warm.
