Pretty early on at Eden Park, you got the feeling it was going to be one of those nights on Saturday.
Even before New Zealand had got in for the opening try of their 40-21 win through Patrick Tuipuloto on 13 minutes, it was evident that Ireland just hadn’t started at the same pitch as their hosts.
Garry Ringrose took his eye off a pass inside the opening two minutes and shortly after, on another Irish attack, the centre was swallowed up in a choke tackle for a turnover, one of 18 given up by Ireland on the night.
Ball control was an issue right through the first half. It was still scoreless on 10 minutes when Joe McCarthy and Hugo Keenan got Ireland rolling into the All Blacks’ 22, but that attack again ended with a spillage, this time James Ryan fumbling.
Perhaps the best chance came when Ireland were 14-0 down, but playing with a man advantage after Luke Jacobson’s yellow card when Jimmy O’Brien put Keenan into space to run clear to the 22, only for the ball placement to go through Jamison Gibson-Park’s legs and Sam Prendergast to throw a careless pass into touch.
By contrast, the New Zealand attack was fluid and deliberate, all quick and simple handling which saw them move from touchline to touchline. It wasn’t freewheeling or flamboyant, but it was fast and effective.
When Jack Conan crossed for Ireland’s opening try on 32 minutes, Sam Prendergast’s conversion made it 14-7 and the game looked alive, but the remainder of the opening half was calamitous from the tourists, as they handed the game back to the All Blacks.
Will Jordan dives in for New Zealand’s third try
Almost instantly, Will Jordan dived in for his 51st international try, and the winger has never had one come easier. Stuart McCloskey and Prendergast were on different wavelengths as the centre pulled a no-look pass behind him into an empty space, allowing Jordan feast on the crumbs and restore the 14-point buffer.
Four minutes from half time, Rob Baloucoune allowed himself to be stripped of the ball in a tackle, which was compounded by Ruben Love sending a 50:22 down the Ulsterman’s vacant wing, from which they eventually got their fourth try through Asafo Aumua.
Even when Tupou Vaa’i handed them a gift of a penalty with the final play of the opening half, McCloskey lost control of possession on the ground and a dismal first half came to an end.
The big question, then, is what caused Andy Farrell’s side to be so inefficient in that opening 40 minutes?
The weather conditions weren’t a factor, according to the head coach.
“We expected the ball to be greasier tonight but it wasn’t,” Farrell said.
“It was dry, I believe that they spray something on the pitch, I think it’s a great idea, we should look at it ourselves.
“The ball was dry so therefore it suited attacking rugby. I think from our side of things, we got a little bit too desperate at times.”
In the immediate aftermath, Farrell lamented what he called the “uncharacteristic” errors, some of which prevented Ireland scoring points, and others which gifted points to their hosts.
Joe McCarthy (above), one of the second half try-scorers, was equally bemused by the sloppiness.
“It was quite tough,” the second row said.
“You knew you weren’t going to get an easy Test match at Eden Park. It was tough, especially the way they played wide-to-wide, and you know they’re going to attack from everywhere, off scrums.
“I thought our scrums were actually pretty good today but then you have to track back and get off the line again with good ball carriers coming at you.”
There was a sense coming into the week that this New Zealand side could be vulnerable, even at their fortress, Eden Park.
Just a third game in for new head coach Dave Rennie, they are still in the process of gelling under their head coach, while their upcoming high-profile tour of South Africa could have distracted them from the job at hand.
Farrell (below) had made a point of embracing the weight of the All Blacks’ 32-year unbeaten run at Eden Park, and believed his side could become the first team in professional rugby to take a scalp in Auckland.
It will likely be 2030 before Ireland return to New Zealand for a Test, and that may not even be at Eden Park, making this a real missed opportunity at a result that could have been an accelerant into a World Cup year.
McCarthy says he felt “nervous” going into Saturday’s game, but it was the right kind of nervous.
“I felt good, felt charged up by it, proper butterflies in the stomach coming here, nervous all week but it felt like it kicked me on a bit, sharpened my mind.
“So I’ll probably look back with regret on a few scenarios where we were a bit off, not getting set in attack and maybe being a little bit off in our comms.
“I don’t know what that is. We definitely have to learn another lesson here but we will be better for it,” he added.
Prior to the match Ireland’s scrum and lineout looked like they would be the winning and losing of the game.
Lineout issues were littered across the opening two games, particularly against Japan where both tries conceded came off the back of lost throws.
There were no such issues on Saturday in Auckland, with just one lost lineout from 13, while the scrum was steady throughout.
For winger Jimmy O’Brien (above), the issue on Saturday was clear to see.
“Definitely, our skillset wasn’t on it,” O’Brien said.
“Specifically the backs, I threw a terrible pass in the first half.
“We could have been away down the other end of the pitch and then just gave them access. They held on to the ball well, got into our 22 and they were pretty clinical when they did.
“They capitalised a couple of our mistakes and scored some tries and we were just behind the 8-ball then.
“It was a frustrating way to end. We thought we had a good plan coming here and we all fully believed we were going to win.”