Rumble in the Aviva: IRE vs NZ

A humdinger of a match is set to play out in Dublin as Ireland welcome the All Blacks to the Aviva Stadium for a much talked-about showdown.  

The All Blacks were not their usual selves last weekend when they stuttered in the first half against Italy, before they found more rhythm in the second. 

Ireland looked strong against Japan last weekend, turning what was expected to be something of a close encounter into a 60-5 drubbing. 

The All Blacks tasted defeat for the first time against the Irish fairly recently, at the unlikely venue of Soldier Field, Chicago in 2016. 

Since then, Ireland have ground out just one more win against the men in black, at the Aviva Stadium in 2018. 

Experienced All Black forwards coach John Plumtree, who was Ireland’s assistant coach from 2013 to 2014, believes that the past victories will work to intensify Ireland’s hunger for another this weekend. 

"We have to come out swinging, and that's what we'll do," he said. 

Reflecting on how Ireland bullied Japan in contact last week, Plumtree said: 

"It shows what type of form they are in, and what type of challenge it is going to be this week for us. 

"They'll be building a lot of excitement around this weekend facing us. It's one that we're looking forward to. We know that potentially [we face] the last two big games of the year for us, it's been a pretty long road, but it's come to this point and we're really energised. The boys are bouncing and can't wait.” 

As strong as the All Blacks are at present, their slow start against the Italians last week will definitely have piqued Irish attention. Earlier this week, Ireland’s celebrated captain Johnny Wilkinson reminisced about his first experience against the All Blacks in 2010: 

“I was blown away by the speed of the game, the physicality,” he said. 

“But I think that’s international rugby, there is a big difference. They epitomise that. It’s sort of not letting that shock you, being prepared for it. We trained well today (Tuesday), we trained at a high speed with a view to what it’s going to be like on Saturday. That’s the thing you have to be prepared for.” 

Sexton will come up against Beauden Barrett on Saturday – a player who has much respect for the Irishman. 

"He's a very good player, he's so influential for their team and he's all class so, of course, you love these match-ups,” Barrett said.  

“You don't get too caught up in it but you do appreciate who your opponent is and the team you're playing. 

"I admire his play, his longevity and how influential he is. He has great skillsets. Probably one of the strengths of his game is his ability to get second touches and always be a threat. There's a lot to admire about him and the way he plays. 

"In terms of his mentality, he's a competitor. He loves to play, he loves to win, he loves to get amongst the physicality. He's a huge part of their team and how they play.” 

Both Barrett and Sexton recently achieved the prestigious honour of 100 Tests for their respective countries – a duel in the flyhalf channel between these two great servants of the game would indeed be a mouth-watering prospect. 

The All Blacks will recognise a few familiar faces in the green jerseys as Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki and James Lowe – all New Zealanders by birth – turn out for the Irish.  

The physicality in this match-up will be both significant to the result and brutal in nature as Ireland showed last week that that particular area of their game is healthy as Japan wilted in the face of it. An All Black pack is never one to shy away from this facet of the game but they will have prepared diligently this week for a good test in that department.  

In the backs, the visitors have shown what they can do when on song and, if they hit the ground running, could prove a nightmare for the Irish defence. However, there is experience aplenty among Ireland’s backs and, under the guidance of Sexton, Ireland are sure to put their counterparts through their paces. 

Ian Foster rung the changes from last week with an almost completely new outfit: 

“We’ve had a great week here in Dublin,” Foster said.  

“We travelled well from Italy and are back into our more traditional routine of hitting a town and then moving onto the next one. The weather has been great here and we’ve enjoyed training in those conditions and getting ready for what will be a massive occasion on Saturday. 

“We obviously have objectives we want to get out of each training session and we feel we have done that well.  The guys are focussed and we achieved what we wanted to achieve.” 

Regarding some of the numerous changes, Foster said: 

“That’s the way we finished the Welsh game, with Anton moving in, Rieko moving to centre and Sevu on the wing.  It’s a little bit of a reward for that combination. We’ve been able to use this series of games and the time together to try different things and thought a little change there would be good for us.  We’re also pretty excited at the impact that Finlay, David and Richie will have off the bench. 

“We’ve watched Ireland’s development this year with interest, particularly through the latter part of the Six Nations and last week’s big win over Japan,” Foster added. “They are certainly playing with confidence and ambition and represent a formidable challenge. 

“We have no doubt what Saturday is going to bring at a full Aviva Stadium.  It’s a big occasion, rugby is back to Dublin in terms of full grandstands, so we know what it’s going to mean here, and we want that kind of stage. It’s big and it’s exciting and is what motivates this team.”