Ireland are placed second in rugby’s world rankings and will go into this weekend’s Test with the All Blacks with as much hope as fear
There is no question that Ireland are an elite side in a manner of speaking. On their day, they would be confident of defeating any one of either England, South Africa, Australia or Wales, and both history and form suggests that they have reason to feel that way.
But there is a difference between being elite among those rugby nations and being elite on a par with the All Blacks. No side on earth can lay claim to such a feat, but Ireland are closer than most, being one of just four sides to have beaten New Zealand in the past two years.
That game, a 40-29 victory for the Irish at Soldier Field in Chicago, was their first ever win against the All Blacks and brought a halt to a run of 18 consecutive victories for Steve Hansen’s side.
And while the All Blacks avenged that defeat a week later in Dublin, the lessons and above all confidence from that evening in Chicago will remain with Ireland as they line out on Saturday.
Apart from a solitary defeat to Australia in June of this year, Ireland have enjoyed a stellar run of form over the last 18 months. They completed a Grand Slam in the Six Nations earlier in the year, and have secured two wins out of two in their Autumn Internationals this year, against Italy and Argentina.
These factors, as well as the emergence of Dan Leavy in place of the injured Sean O’Brien, will give Joe Schmidt cause for optimism against an All Blacks team who some observers felt were fortunate to defeat England at Twickenham last Saturday.
The promise shown by Leavy against Argentina, as well as his stunning performances in the Six Nations, should lessen the blow of O’Brien’s absence through a broken arm, though the hosts will miss Conor Murray, ruled out with a longstanding neck injury.
Schmidt will be keen for his side to focus on their own game rather than become preoccupied with the many dangers posed by New Zealand, but he as well as anyone will know that it would be foolish to ignore the areas in which the All Blacks will seek to attack the Irish.
Earlier this week, Steven Hansen shocked many by saying that the winner of the tie between the world’s two top ranked sides would be viewed as the best nation in the world, but in truth, it would take more than one victory for Ireland to topple the All Blacks.
“There’s only one team that is top of the tree,” said Ireland coach Andy Farrell in response to Hansen’s comment. “But it’s an important year (for Ireland). It’s important for us to keep building and keep trying to close that gap.”
The All Blacks’ qualities are myriad and the home will be as aware of them as any, but if Ireland are to defeat the visitors for only the second time in their history then they must attempt to recreate that historic performance in November 2016.
Puncturing the All Blacks’ air of invincibility by getting a lead early – just as they did in Chicago – will be necessary for Ireland to come out on top, and there will be little to no room for error throughout.
Even if they succeed in doing this, Ireland will face a tough task, but both sides will go into the game knowing that – providing they put on a 100% performance – their chance of victory is high.
For Ireland, the game represents a rare opportunity to stake their claim as being close to equal with their opponents, and for the All Blacks it is provides a chance to silence any debate – however slight – over who the world’s best side is.
Both will provide requisite motivation, of that there is no doubt.
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