Ireland continues to accumulate historical landmarks. Last week’s victory in New Zealand was followed by another first in Wellington: a second consecutive victory against the All Blacks to win the Test series against one of the most fearsome rugby nations for the first time since 1905.
During scenes of jubilation, the Ireland coach, Andy Farrell, remarked, “This is a fantastic squad.” This is likely the most difficult task in world rugby. We stated it would be the beginning of our World Cup year, but I have a feeling it’s a bit greater than that.
His appraisal of this historic achievement within the context of the next milestone is a credit to his resolute, realistic, and unquestionably inspirational leadership of Ireland. Johnny Sexton, the captain of Ireland, stated, “It’s evident how much confidence we have, and it all starts with Faz.” All credit goes to him, truly.
Despite Farrell’s activities prior, it was those on the field who had to seize the occasion, and for the third consecutive week, Ireland scored first. Three minutes in, Josh van der Flier’s flop over from a lineout drive set the tone for a first-half highlight reel showcasing all that is admirable about Ireland.
Before the interval, an organized and dynamic assault from numerous phases, combined with force and skill in tight positions, limited New Zealand to a Jordie Barrett penalty and produced two more tries. Hugo Keenan touched down wide left after receiving a brilliant miss ball from Bundee Aki.
Two quick phases behind a scrum in the All Blacks’ 22 allowed Bundee Aki to feed Robbie Henshaw, who ran in unopposed. The addition of Sexton’s conversions enabled the captain to lead his team off the field with a 22-3 lead.
As disorganized and restless as the home team was in the first forty minutes, this was immediately quelled at the start of the second, particularly by Ardie Savea’s boot. The No. 8 for New Zealand was responsible for bringing his team back into the game by breaking through two Irish tacklers to score his team’s first try and then getting involved in the Ireland breakdown to win a penalty.
Speaking of penalties, a critical moment appeared to occur at the 50-minute mark when Andrew Porter collided heads with Brodie Retallick during a tackle. At first impression, it resembled the incident that resulted in Angus Ta’avao receiving a red card last week, but Wayne Barnes deemed Porter’s contact to be less aggressive and handed merely a yellow card.
Unfazed by any sense of unfairness, the All Blacks scored inside a minute, with Akira Ioane scoring his maiden international try after a strong run pushed through Dan Sheehan and Van der Flier’s ineffective defending. Sexton expanded the lead from the tee before Savea, the lone cavalry charge, threw a deft pass to Will Jordan on the wing, who sprinted 80 meters to score.
With 20 minutes remaining and a three-point deficit, the next score was important. Rob Herring, who had just entered the game, calmly kicked a lineout jumper before peeling off the back of the maul and driving through an army of defenders to reach the end zone.
As New Zealand dominated the final minutes, the 10-point cushion did little to assuage the fear. Tadhg Beirne thus determined that Savea would not receive individual recognition at the end of the match, the Munster lock having made three key defensive interventions at the breakdown. Each killed a threatening All-Black attack.
An extraordinary, game-winning performance. As the clock approached the final minute, Peter O’Mahony was already in tears due to the realization of the importance of his accomplishment. In the conclusion, he was not alone. I’m willing to guess that four million people are up and having breakfast while watching us,” Sexton added. We constantly speak about them because we want to make them proud, which we accomplished.
“This has never been accomplished before,” O’Mahony continued. “As a young man, I never believed it was feasible, but now the young men back home will know it’s doable.” After a century of attempting, this Ireland team has introduced a paradigm shift in the art of the possible.
