Watching at pitchside in his role as a Channel 4 analyst last Saturday, Tommy Bowe’s undoubted delight was tinged with a little regret. He’s not alone. Like Bowe, a plethora of Irish rugby legends – Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara, the watching John Hayes and all others in the 111 years before 2016 – never knew what it felt like to beat the All Blacks.
Remarkably, some of those who now do know the feeling are becoming reacquainted with it. Of the 23 players on duty for last Saturday's 29-20 win, half a dozen have now been part of all three wins against New Zealand, namely Johnny Sexton, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Josh van der Flier, Joey Carbery and Garry Ringrose.
It doesn’t stop there.
Another eight now know what it’s like to do it twice: Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony, Finlay Bealham, Keith Earls, Bundee Aki, Andrew Porter, Iain Henderson and James Ryan.
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One of Schmidt's greatest legacies to Irish rugby was to help instil the belief among an admittedly golden generation that Irish sides can actually beat the All Blacks
What’s more, Sexton, Murray and Furlong were also part of the win and draw which the Lions achieved in Wellington and Auckland four years ago.
Then there's the case of Andy Farrell. Like everyone else, he has had his tough days against New Zealand, but he has also now been a coach in five wins over the All Blacks; with England in 2012, the three with Ireland, and one with the Lions, as well as a draw.
The source of these three Irish wins was in many respects the defeat in 2013, just Joe Schmidt’s third match in charge. There had been close encounters before, most obviously in 2012 in Christchurch, but nothing like that one.
To lose in overtime, in the last play, and with a re-taken conversion, after leading 19-0 and 22-7 at half-time was heartbreaking. But if it doesn’t break you it can make you.
As Munster’s Heineken Cup final defeats in 2000 and 2002 fuelled their determination to eventually succeed in 2006 and 2008, ditto Ireland against the All Blacks, perhaps ever since. After 2013, if Ireland ever had the All Blacks on the hook again, it strengthened their resolve not to let them off it.
When they led 25-8 at half-time in Soldier’s Field with a good chunk of the same side three years later, Johnny Sexton assuredly had 2013 in mind when telling his team-mates they had to score again.
And were it not for second-half tries by Simon Zebo and Robbie Henshaw either side of a Murray penalty, it would have been heartbreak again.
Escapology
It must also have fuelled, to some degree, the determination not to let the All Blacks conjure further acts of escapology three years ago and three days ago, when Ireland went one further and outscored them by 24-10 in the second half. That’s virtually unheard of.
One of Schmidt’s greatest legacies to Irish rugby was to help instil the belief among an admittedly golden generation that Irish sides can actually beat the All Blacks. Another was the trademark accuracy of the one- and two-man breakdown clear-outs which O’Connell, his former captain in 2013, is re-enforcing along with his lineout expertise.
To this, Farrell and Mike Catt have gradually unleashed a freer attacking game, and a new breed of dynamic young Test match animals up front have helped this team reach previously unexplored parameters. They’re clearly loving it and it’s fun to watch, but it’s not without carefully developed structures and even a little of the old pragmatism.
A tactic in 2013 was to rein in the offloads and not push passes for fear of risking intercepts. Interestingly, amid all the brilliance of the performance, there were only two offloads last Saturday compared to the 18 against Japan. Ireland didn’t force things, keeping turnovers to a minimum and not coughing up any intercepts against the intercept kings, or much in the way of opportunities off turnovers. An example was the way Sexton pulled the ball back into his grasp rather than risk an intercept by Will Jordan and taking ball into contact when suffering his knee and ankle injury.
There was a clear-eyed intelligence and accuracy to this performance as well. No one who was there will ever forget it.
For sure Ireland again had the advantage of playing at home in an insane atmosphere. Indeed, four of the last six meetings have been in Dublin. None have been in New Zealand, the ultimate test which awaits next July and most likely with a fourth game thrown in to maximise the value of the only Irish tour in this Covid-affected World Cup cycle.
Arduous
That Irish squad will be at the end of a long, arduous season, as New Zealand are now. After playing their first half-dozen Tests of 2021 on home soil, the All Blacks have been away from home since late August. They played five Rugby Championship games on the bounce against Australia, Argentina (twice) and South Africa (twice) in Australia, and after a two-week break arrived in Dublin on the back of consecutive games in Washington, Cardiff and Rome.
The All Blacks are New Zealand’s cash cow but one wonders how Ireland might fare in Auckland after three months on the road and such an itinerary.
Yet one has to put Ireland’s latest win in historical context, and not just in the sudden transformation of this rivalry over the last eight years.
New Zealand have lost just three of their last 41 Tests in Europe, against England in December 2012 at Twickenham and now twice against Ireland, in 2018 and last Saturday. Of their last 25 Tests in the northern hemisphere dating back to that defeat by England, they have won 23 and lost just two – both of them coming against Ireland.
And Ireland didn’t just deserve to beat the All Blacks by two scores; on another day and almost certainly against anyone else, the winning margin would have been well into two figures.
Therein lies perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Saturday. Just one try from eight first-half entries into the All Blacks’ 22 illustrates how Ireland can still learn from them, specifically how to be more clinical.
This Irish team can improve further.
