Guinness November Series: Ireland v New Zealand (today, 5.30pm, Aviva Stadium, live on RTÉ2 & Sky Sports 2)
“A wounded All Blacks side is a dangerous All Blacks side.” Steve Hansen, June 23, 2012
NEW Zealand 60 Ireland 0 read the scoreboard in Waikato Stadium that day, four-and-a-half years ago.
Ireland had travelled to the North Island city buoyant, confident, feeling that they were edging ever closer. They had their hosts hanging on in Christchurch seven days earlier, level at 19-19 heading into stoppage time.
Dan Carter’s drop goal denied Ireland what would only have been a second ever draw against the All Blacks, and left them still striving for their first win.
Seven days later, the green shirts split their evening between chasing shadows and heaving for air their own posts. Nine tries, the wounded All Blacks ran in.
“Sometimes you can get away without reviewing the final Test of a summer tour and just run off into the sun,” said a despondent Jonathan Sexton at the time.
“But when you've been thumped 60-0? You have to be accountable for a scoreline like that. You have to trawl through the wreckage for clues. You have to experience the pain and humiliation again."
Joe Schmidt is all too aware that Ireland’s historic win in Chicago will have been taken by the bear as an altogether more forceful poke than 2012’s near miss.
The New Zealand mindset doesn’t have to absorb defeat too often. And perhaps, in turning the attention to his players’ revelry in the Chicago Cubs’ parade the day before the Soldier Field clash, Hansen shed a little bit of grace in defeat.
In doing so, he perhaps opened an emotional window to an Ireland team that, after 111 years, has had just two weeks to find a whole new motivation to beat the All Blacks.
The drive up to their traditional Carton House base was lined with congratulatory green signs, planted either side of the path. One read simply: #111.
Three feet from a pat on the back…
It was just their fourth loss of Hansen’s reign. Their previous defeat came in a 27-19 loss to Australia in the Rugby Championship last August, and seven days later they thumped the same opponent 41-13 in Eden Park.
The last time they lost back-to-back to the same country was in 2009 against South Africa.
“How would you imagine it felt? We certainly weren’t laughing about it,” said Hansen of that period, in which he was assistant to Graham Henry.
“History tells us it can happen. If the opposition are better than you on the day then you have got to accept that.
“We do not have any God given right to win every game of rugby, but what we do know then if we prepare right and our attitude is good then we are going to be hard to beat and the other team has to do the same.”
The word ‘revenge’ hasn’t been uttered outside the All Blacks team room at their base in Castleknock Hotel, but you can be sure it will form part of the mould that shapes their performance in the Aviva this evening.
Also fresh in their minds will be the first anniversary of Jonah Lomu’s death. All the emotional energy that Ireland took from wanting to do Anthony Foley proud two weeks ago is mirrored this weekend.
The Irish basically have to find another level of performance again if they are to double their win tally over the All Blacks.
That the door will most probably shut on an area of great Irish strength from two weeks, namely the lineout, it is no easy task.
Kieran Read may account for a large percentage of the lineout ball that they win but it’s much easier for Ireland to counter when they know he will be the target.
With Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock back in the numbers 4 and 5 respectively, there is no such luxury. Devin Toner and Jamie Heaslip will need sterling support from Donncha Ryan if they are to match the visitors.
Their failure to function amid the lack of set-piece solidity highlighted an infallibility, a human side almost, to New Zealand. Aaron Smith’s poor display contributed to their backline failing to function, and the decision to retain him against of TJ Perenara is arguably the most notable of Hansen’s selection calls.
In defending his scrum-half, Hansen also deflected the pressure.
“We think he (Smith) is the best half back in the world. You guys probably think Conor Murray is. That will be how the battle goes and who goes well enough up front.
“Half-backs usually play well if the tight five do their job as do loose forwards for that matter. Both tight fives have to provide a platform for their half-backs who then allow their stand-offs to control the game.
“In Chicago, Sexton and Murray controlled the game because of the platform they had from up front.
“As long as I have been watching rugby, which is a long time, and until the day I die that won’t change; rugby is about winning the battle up front.”
There’s no doubt that New Zealand played beneath their standards in Chicago, but did Ireland play above theirs?
The All Blacks may look for newly crowned World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett to influence the game more with his boot, if even to spook the Andy Farrell rush defence that has proven effective in the early portion of his Irish involvement.
Field position and a strengthened lineout should give the world champions the foothold that they lacked when they found themselves 30-8 down early in the second half two weeks go.
But even then, they produced an electric quarter to claw the gap back to just four points before Robbie Henshaw’s magnificent late score.
The glass ceiling has been shattered now but none are quite so equipped to make running repairs as New Zealand.
And none are quite so dangerous when wounded. The All Blacks will have to earn it, but they should take their revenge.
THE TEAMS
Ireland: R Kearney; A Trimble, J Payne, R Henshaw, S Zebo; J Sexton; J McGrath, R Best, T Furlong; D Ryan, D Toner; CJ Stander, S O’Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: S Cronin, C Healy, F Bealham, I Henderson, J van der Flier, K Marmion, P Jackson, G Ringrose
New Zealand: B Smith; I Dagg, M Fekitoa, A Lienert-Brown, J Savea; B Barrett, A Smith; J Moody, D Coles, O Franks; B Retallick, S Brodie; L Squire, S Cane, K Read. Replacements: C Taylor, W Crockett, C Faumuina, S Barrett, A Savea, TJ Perenara, A Cruden, W Naholo
