Ireland vs All Blacks: Recalling the five times Ireland beat New Zealand
by Garry Doyle · Irish MirrorIt took them 29 attempts and 111 years but when the wait was over, Irish rugby's weight was lifted.
Finally in 2016 they had New Zealand's scalp.
And since then a one-sided contest has turned into rugby's newest rivalry.
Ahead of the latest instalment in the duel, we reflect on the five times when Ireland's spear went into the heart of the All Blacks.
Read more: Damian McKenzie says the All Blacks have no fear of Ireland ahead of big clash
November 2016 Ireland 40-29 New Zealand (Chicago)
America had never before been invaded.
But this time it was taken over by a foreign army, up to 40,000 Irish forces descending on Chicago to turn the city green, their supporters singing the team home in Soldier Field.
"And it was incredible to see that," Tadgh Furlong, the prop forward said afterwards. "At times it was overwhelming.
"Looking up into those high-rise stands, which seemed never ending, it was amazing to see so many Irish people there. The fans lifted us with their support when we needed them to and that was why we emptied the tank for them.
"By God, what a performance it was. And by God, what an atmosphere. It triggered emotions in me. Emotions of pride — pride in being Irish, in coming from Wexford, pride in representing all those people. It was just a hell of a day to be Irish, wasn't it?"
It certainly felt that way. And so it panned out that in the same week the Chicago Cubs bridged a gap to 1908, when they last won baseball's World Series, the Ireland rugby team should emerge from their own sporting purgatory to beat New Zealand for the first time since that first meeting in 1905.
No day in Irish rugby has ever been better.
November 17, 2018, Ireland 16-9 New Zealand (Dublin)
In a sporting sense, it was nearly as good as Chicago, because Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock were playing this time and Conor Murray was not.
Worries about a back-up to scrum half Murray disappeared that night after Kieran Marmion's brilliant display while fears about Bundee Aki's distribution skills looked silly in respect of his gamechanging pass for Jacob Stockdale's try.
Then there was the question of nerve, which is no longer a question, not after Ireland successfully nullified the threat of New Zealand's two best players, Retallick and Beauden Barrett.
A former world player of the year, Retallick had the indignity of seeing Jacob Stockdale chip the ball over his head in the prelude to the Irish try as well as being the man whose dropped catch signalled the end of a pulsating game.
Barrett, too, was embarrassingly ushered over the touchline on 52 minutes by Rob Kearney, the same player later making a key interception after a rare line-break by the All Black playmaker.
Eventually all those bullish assaults on New Zealand's key men proved brutally decisive. "Pete was a real warrior," coach Joe Schmidt said. "But they all were, all of them were immense. I couldn't be prouder."
Pride came before a fall, though, New Zealand getting revenge a year later at the World Cup.
November 2021 - Ireland 29-20 New Zealand - The Aviva
Lockdown ended. So did New Zealand's grip on Irish rugby. This time they were outplayed.
And after it Joey Carbery said the psychological benefits of beating New Zealand in 2016 and 2018 aided his side, as did the return of a packed stadium to watch Irish sport after the Covid-19 nightmare.
“Certainly the experience of doing it before helped the belief,” Carbery said.
“So that was the biggest thing. The crowd was a massive factor for us as well.
“They were incredible. The place was absolutely buzzing. There were a few moments in the game when it could have gone either way but with the crowd on your side, we drew a lot of energy from them. They made a big difference to us."
Dunedin July 9 2022, Ireland 23-12 New Zealand
Ireland recorded their first victory against the All Blacks on New Zealand soil to join an elite group.
To this day only six teams – the British and Irish Lions, Wallabies, Springboks, England and France had beaten the All Blacks on their own turf. To that list add Ireland's name.
The win that night was New Zealand’s first defeat in the Forsyth Barr Stadium, and just their sixth in 47 games in Dunedin.
The reason why was simple. Their big players failed to show up whereas Ireland’s top performers – Peter O’Mahony, Johnny Sexton, Tadhg Beirne, Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki – produced world class performances.
As Johnny Sexton spoke to his players in the immediate post-match huddle, the PA announcer felt it appropriate to play Gloria Gaynor’s I will survive.
It was the perfect soundtrack to a day when Ireland kept their hopes of winning the 2022 series alive.
July 16 2022 Ireland 32-22 New Zealand (Wellington)
Wellington was where Ireland produced the best rugby of their lives in the first half, which they led 22-3.
“We said at half time they were going to come for us and they did,” said Tadgh Beirne.
“They upped it. They put us under serious pressure at times and got themselves back into the game.
“We talked about how we would have to get through that and come out the other side.”
Didn't they just. New Zealand came back to get within a score. It didn't matter. Ireland won by ten.
“The most pleasing thing for me was the composure we showed when they came back at us,” said Andy Farrell afterwards. “We never panicked when they started to come back.”
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