Nations Championship: New Zealand v Ireland, Eden Park, Auckland, 8.10am Irish time
Local school choir sings the anthems in Auckland.
It’s an, ahem, interesting rendition of Ireland’s Call. Not as bad as the infamous 2023 World Cup when a young choir butchered France’s anthem ahead of the tournament’s first match.
Ah maybe I’m being harsh. Kids are never always in tune.
Just over 15 minutes to go until kick-off at Eden Park. New Zealand are 12 point favourites here – what do we reckon?
The last time these two sides met, the All Blacks won by 13 in Soldier Field last November.
Ireland lost to New Zealand in Chicago last year. Photograph: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Speaking of New Zealand’s unbeaten run at Eden Park, stretching to 52 games now, JOhn O’Sullivan has cast a look on the nature of the matches involved.
Is the record all it’s cracked up to be? Read more here.
The standing joke about New Zealand’s unbeaten 52-match winning streak at Eden Park since France won 23-20 in 1994 is that the All Blacks choose the opposition wisely at a given point in time and only face teams at the Auckland venue if the home team is confident about their prospects.
— John O’Sullivan
New Zealand have not lost at Eden Park since 1994. Photograph: Shane Wenzlick/AFP via Getty Images.
Looks like a dry, clear night in Eden Park!
New Zealand have not lost at this venue since 1994. Ireland, of course, won on their last visit to Kiwi soil, securing the series 2-1, but those two victories came in Wellington.
Ireland’s Hugo Keenan inspects the pitch ahead of the match. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 
A general view of Eden Park ahead of the match. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 
Ireland fans in Auckland City ahead of the game. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Speaking of Howlett, his All Black try-scoring record was broken last week by Will Jordan. A man who knows what it’s like to score against Ireland, Jordan reached the 50-try mark against Italy last time out.
That took him past Howlett on 49 and into a league of his own atop the try-scoring charts for men in the black jersey. 50 tries in 56 matches for Jordan, an astonishing conversion rate of 0.89 tries per game.
Will Jordan scores for the All Blacks against Italy. Photograph: Phil Walter/Getty Images
Gerry Thornley is in Auckland and he’s caught up with a man who had a profound effect on both Irish and Kiwi rugby, Doug Howlett.
The former All Black record try scorer and Munster wing had plenty to say, especially when it came to his own experiences at Thomond Park and how he views the province these days after a difficult period.
You can read Gerry’s interview with Howlett here.
I just feel, what’s happening at the moment, they’re going to find it difficult to attract international players, or top-notch international players, and allow them to have the experience that I had; that uplifting effect the Munster rugby team could have for the whole region.
— Doug Howlett
Doug Howlett during his time at Munster. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
It’s early, I know. A good way of staying awake until kick-off? Listen to our most recent Counter Ruck podcast where we delve into everything to watch out for in this one.
Need a clever thought on Ireland’s backrow combination to send into the WhatsApp group? This has you covered.
Underdog Ireland gear up for All Blacks test
And in the black corner…
Here are the All Blacks. Personally, I can’t wait to see how Ruben Love gets on at 10.
Jordie Barrett is a familiar face at 12, offering another playmaking outlet alongside love and Damian McKenzie at fullback.
We begin, as we always do, with a reminder of the Irish team. The good news is that Rob Baloucoune’s pesky hamstring allows him to finally make an appearance on this tour, the Ulster man back in the 14 shirt which he made his own with a stellar Six Nations.
Elsewhere it’s more or less as expected after Andy Farrell rotated for last week’s Japan game. Jimmy O’Brien getting the nod at left wing over Jamie Osborne is an interesting one perhaps, but for all his quality, I think we can say at this stage that wing is not Osborne’s top position.
Robbie Henshaw is probably unfortunate to miss out on the 23 after impressing as one of Ireland’s best players against Japan. Garry Ringrose comes back in to take the 13 shirt off him while Bundee Aki resumes his impact replacement role.
After a fortnight which has seen Ireland’s lineout struggle, Tadhg Beirne is named in the backrow as Ireland go for three locks in the run-on team with Joe McCarthy and James Ryan also featuring.
Good morning everyone.
Kudos if you’re up early enough to read this. We love a good build-up period to Ireland matches on this blog (and crucially, so does Google) so here we all are at 6am.
Nonetheless, it is a pleasure to have your company as we build up to Ireland’s clash with the All Blacks at Eden Park, Auckland. Kick-off is at 8.10am Irish time.