Ireland are set to take on the All Blacks on Saturday in their third game of the Nations Championship, aiming to extend their recent run of good results. Here is all the info you need to know ahead of Ireland v New Zealand.
After their famous victory over the Kiwis in Chicago in 2016, Andy Farrell’s men have beaten New Zealand five out of the last ten times the nations have crossed paths.
However, New Zealand have come out in top in the last three meetings.
Where is Ireland v New Zealand
Ireland versus New Zealand will take place on Saturday at 08:10 Irish time. The two sides will clash in Aukland, in Eden Park.
Nations Championship table as things stand
Northern Hemisphere
Team
Played
Won
Lost
Drawn
For
Against
Pts Diff
Bonus
Points
Ireland
2
2
0
0
69
51
+18
2
10
France
2
1
1
0
74
60
+14
3
7
Scotland
2
1
1
0
75
80
-5
2
6
England
2
1
1
0
94
53
+41
1
5
Wales
2
1
1
0
60
59
+1
1
5
Italy
2
0
2
0
27
74
-47
0
0
Southern Hemisphere
Team
Played
Won
Lost
Drawn
For
Against
Pts Diff
Bonus
Points
South Africa
2
2
0
0
87
49
+38
2
10
New Zealand
2
2
0
0
81
49
+32
1
10
Argentina
2
1
1
0
73
68
+5
2
6
Japan
2
1
1
0
47
46
+1
0
4
Australia
2
0
2
0
57
75
-18
3
3
Fiji
2
0
2
0
32
112
-80
0
0
Ireland’s Form
Ireland enter the contest sitting top of the Northern Hemisphere table. They kicked off their campaign with two hard fought victories over Australia in Sydney and Japan in Newcastle.
In spite of their successful start to the campaign, the boys in green have faced scrutiny for their performances thus far. Their opening performance against the Wallabies sparked concern among former player Rob Kearney, who stated:
“Certainly, a performance like that in Eden Park in two weeks’ time in Eden Park, we’ll be 2o points on the receiving end.”
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The teams performance against Japan only deepened Irish anxiety. Despite some strong individual performances, Farrell’s XV performed lack luster at times.
New Zealand’s Form
The World number 2 team enter Saturdays match second in the Southern Hemisphere table. Having edged past France 34-32 on the opening weekend, New Zealand blew out Italy 47-17 last weekend.
Will Jordan will no doubt be a player for Farrell and Ireland to consider in their pre-match preparations, as the Crusaders winger became the all time leading Try-scorer for New Zealand on Saturday. The Christchurch man pushed the Kiwis to victory with a hat-trick against Italy.
Where to Watch Ireland v New Zealand.
Viewers in Ireland can catch the game on Virgin Media one and Virgin Media play. Coverage will start at 7:30 am.
The game will also be shown on ITV.
Team News
Having brought nine new players into the XV on saturday, more changes are expected from Farrell this Saturday, with the team expected to be announced later this week.
All 36 members of the Irish squad have trained today and are ready for selection.
This includes Robert Balaoucoune and Jeremy Loughman, both of which were a concern for the weekend.