Match report
That was an excellent day of Test rugby, all in. England thrashed Fiji but showed frailties, Wales and Scotland crept past their opponents with dramatic late kicks, while New Zealand righted the wrongs of Chicago. Perhaps most momentous of all, Italy beat the Boks.
There’s still one game to go – Australia face France in Paris in a few minutes’ time – but that is all from me. Thanks very much for your company, see you (sort of) for all the action next Saturday too.
Right, that is that. Michael Aylwin’s report from a superb Test match at the Aviva Stadium will be right here very soon. I’m just looking at the team sheets from the end of the game. Ireland had four blokes off with injury, while New Zealand completely reshuffled their backline to tighten up. Cracking game.
Massive respect between these sides after two epic Test matches this year.#IREvNZL pic.twitter.com/mFn2BW6jXe
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) November 19, 2016
“Jeez that was a tough Test match,” reflects Brodie Retallick. Damn straight.
Here is Gerard Meagher’s report from Wales’s very tight win over Japan in Cardiff.
Conor Murray is talking to Sky. He’s annoyed that Ireland didn’t take advantage of all that possession and New Zealand’s two yellow cards. Ireland were just too profligate in the New Zealand 22. A brutal Test match, that.
Full time! IRELAND 9-21 NEW ZEALAND
Beauden Barrett is your man of the match. It’s got very scrappy, and somehow Perenara breaks through, only to be tackled hard. They are chucking it about now. Eventually Fekitoa knocks on and that is that. The Blacklash happened, then.
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79 min Oh, that could have been lovely. But not quite. Jackson dinks over the top, Payne chases but knocks on, he can’t quite gather.
78 min Ireland go off the top, and the backs hammer away. Eventually it is turned over and New Zealand come from deep. But Fekitoa’s dink goes straight out. That is a very poor kick. 90 seconds on the clock.
77 min Finally the ball comes out. New Zealand eventually kick, find touch, and Ireland decide against taking it quickly.
76 min Come on. This has been a great game. Now let’s not ruin by taking forever resetting scrums. That’s two resets now...
75 min 10 phases now for Ireland, they are charging up the left, but TJ Perenara has spoiled it off Heaslip’s carry. NZ scrum 10 metres out on the right hand side.
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74 min Zebo is the latest Irishman to be helped from the field. That’s the fourth injury they have had. Scrum-half Marmion is on the wing. NZ’s scrum is solid, and they switch, but Fekitoa knocks on and Ringrose half-breaks. Hauled down. Ireland truck on...
Ha! Or is that Ha?
@willis_macp In my mind I am changing all your exclamation marks into question marks. It makes it more intriguing.
— KNEE LARD (@KneeLard) November 19, 2016
73 min Ireland have three points to show for much of the ball this half. And it’s the same story here as Sean Cronin knocks on. It’s 21-9 with seven minutes to go. Naholo on for Ben Smith now.
72 min Van der Flier breaks the line! He’s brought down on the 22 but that’s a lovely run. They keep plugging away ...
71 min Ireland win the ball and bash up the middle through Ringrose and Healy, on for McGrath. New Zealand resolute.
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70 min Sean Cronin, on for Best, takes the throw. Van der Flier goes up the middle, then Trimble up the right, but he’s bundled into touch by Ben Smith.
69 min Ireland need to score twice. They are consolidating possession deep but have lost their shape. They win a penalty, which Jackson knocks down into New Zealand’s half.
68 min New Zealand end up with the ball from that lineout and charge up the middle.
67 min That feels like a sucker punch. Ireland have a lineout on the New Zealand 10m line on the left.
Try! (Fekitoa 65) Ireland 9-21 New Zealand
66 min Ben Smith comes flying back at Ireland! It goes through all sorts of hands - Barrett, Lienert-Brown, Barrett again, Perenara (was that forward?), then to Fekitoa, who crosses easily for second. Scrappy and scintillating at the same time. Best is complaining to the ref. “I have a team that look after me,” replies Peyper. Barrett converts.
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64 min It’s scrum time, so they are catching their breath. More Fields of Athenry. Murray feeds a very noisy scrum then Ireland run it on the 22. Jackson kicks high.
Niall Swan wants the score. It’s 14-9 to NZ.
@willis_macp asked in the nicest way possible, could you put THE SCORE in some of your Ire v NZ updates please. Or at least in the headline?
— Niall Swan (@NiallMacSuain) November 19, 2016
63 min Ireland grubber from deep and Barrett gathers. New Zealand go left, then right. Dagg has space and arcs round, but his offload only leads to a knock on off Lienert-Brown!
62 min New Zealand charge on through the phases, through the offloads. But they lose it and Ireland come from deep! Was that another high tackle on Heaslip? No.
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61 min Toner claims the lineout again. Murray boxkicks, and New Zealand come from deep through Barrett. A loose pass from Perenara slows but they go down the short side to be greeted by a green wall.
60 min Ireland go off the top and up the middle. But they are turned over and Perenara thumps down field and into touch.
58 min TJ Perenara is off the bench. New Zealand are still giving away penalties. Jackson thumps downfield.
Penalty! (Jackson 57) Ireland 9-14 New Zealand
57 min Jackson goes for the posts. 30m out, to the right, and scores. Three points scored during each sin-binning.
56 min This game has just got real loose. Kearney is nearly in as Ben Smith fumbles a kick, then Ardie Savea goes on the break. New Zealand run from deep bit out left, they get pinged for clinging on!
55 min Now it’s Ireland’s hooker beating defenders. Best carries, then it’s O’Brien up the middle. Three mins more in the bin for Fekitoa!
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54 min NZ go for touch, win the lineout at the front and Dane Coles is on the fly! Brilliant tackle from Sean O’Brien nips that in the bud. And then New Zealand give away another penalty.
Scotland beat Argentina!
19-16!
53 min Ireland keep knocking on the door, but Josh van der Flier has knocked on in contact! And then a penalty comes. Ireland told to get their hands out of the ruck, and they ignored him. Great work again from Ardie Savea.
52 min New Zealand bring on Charlie Faumuina for Owen Franks. Lineout in the corner for Ireland, who rumble. They are on the move. Again, great defence from NZ.
51 min Ireland win the lineout and batter up the short side. Paddy Jackson crosskicks and in claiming Trimble does brilliantly but puts a foot in touch. We are going back for another penalty - it’s another high tackle on Murray.
50 min Aaron Smith kicks off the base and finds touch, still inside New Zealand’s half.
49 min Ireland go to the corner. I think that was the right call. No intent, but reckless. Heaslip claims the lineout and what a mess. Sean O’Brien tries to claim an offload at pace but shells it. Scrum eight metres out.
Yellow card! Fekitoa 48!
48 min New Zealand run their way out down the left, then Smith does an awful boxkick from the 22, which goes nowhere! Ireland go left rapidly, and Fekitoa catches Zebo high and the arm is swinging. That’s yellow!
47 min Ireland eventually knock on. Ardie Savea has pulled off an excellent turnover. New Zealand scrum,. eight metres off their own line.
46 min There’s Fields of Athenry. Jeez that’s loud. Ireland tunnelling away up the left but still to no avail. Keep bashing.
45 min Garry Ringrose nearly breaks through from that scrum, and New Zealand go left. The defence is excellent, again.
44 min New Zealand win the lineout but there is a poor box kick from Aaron Smith. That gives it back to Ireland, who kick to Julian Savea, and he spills under pressure!
43 min Barrett kicks for touch, and finds it, but New Zealand are not yet out of their half.
42 min As Ireland go left, the ball is spilled backwards off Rory Best. Lots of possession. Black shirts everywhere, big tackle from Read on Payne. And now there’s a penalty for clinging on. Great defence.
41 min New Zealand kick back to Ireland, who set about some phases. They try the short side with no luck, just chipping away. Heaslip barges up the middle.
Underway again
Jackson kicks off and here we go... Big 40 minutes
My colleague Andy Bull has written an excellent piece from England’s win at Twickenham earlier:
Richard Searle has been in touch. He’s talking about Beauden Barrett’s try. I thought he grounded it, but Johnny Sexton, who admittedly was much closer at hand, didn’t. Richard thinks Sexton should have been binned.
“If Barrett didn’t ground that try, it should have been a penalty try for the flagrant head shot he took beyond the goal line,” fumes Richard. “He only didn’t ground it easily because the Irishman tried to decapitate him. Should have been a try and a yellow card.”
Into the last 10 at Murrayfield. 16-16.
Greig Laidlaw knocks over three points for Scotland. Fratellis this time to celebrate it. The Murrayfield DJ is a predictable chap. It’s 16-16 with 12 left.
Thrilling final 15 minutes await at Murrayfield, too. Argentina lead Scotland 13-16.
Pause. For. Breath.
What a half of rugby. New Zealand lead, but their penalty count is also perilously close to double figures. Constant infringements. Ireland have had three (3) men go off injured. It’s tough going out there. Give me five minutes to gather myself and I’ll be back.
Half-time! Ireland 6-14 New Zealand
New Zealand kick for touch, win the lineout, and then Barrett crosskicks. It goes out of place but is deep in the Irish 22. This’ll be the last play. Best finds his man again, they roll briefly, Murray demands the ball and nails it into touch.
39 min Best - Toner - Murray is a pretty reliable lineout call for Ireland. They go right, then left, before Retallick tackles Jackson brilliantly. Ireland are pinged for holding on. New Zealand have a penalty deep in their own half.
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38 min Ireland go wide from the lineout, a Trimble grubber is cleaned up by Dagg. New Zealand recover to boxkick towards halfway.
37 min Paddy Jackson kicks for touch, and Ireland will have a lineout on the right hand side just outside the 22.
36 min The scrum is strong and Ireland win the penalty!
haha
@willis_macp savage test of Irelands resolve & street smarts! Johnny Logan's 2 Eurovision wins still stand alone unless we can get this done
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) November 19, 2016
35 min Ireland go from deep, going through the phases. There’s a boxkick for Murray, which just gives the ball back to Savea, although Ireland keep the ball up from him and win the scrum!
Scotland 13-13 Argentina btw
34 min Ireland kick for touch and go off the top. Trimble is stopped in his tracks by a huge tackle, Rettalick’s fifth.
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33 min The ball comes to Coles on the right, then Whitelock rumbles up the middle. It comes to Julian Savea on the left, who bumps one man, but then it’s a penalty to Ireland! New Zealand have conceded seven already.
32 min Rolling maul then off the lineout then a dart down the shortside for Conor Murray. He gets up and boxkicks, which Dagg takes well. Barrett throws and aful pass over Fekitoa’s head and he does well to keep it in.
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31 min New Zealand win their lineout and get mauling, but Ireland have driven them out of play!
30 min Huge shove at the scrum from NZ but Ireland keep the ball. Murray boxkicks into touch.
30 min Oh no! Ireland try to run from deep and Paddy Jackson knocks on, it lands at Barrett’s feet, he picks up and trots in to score! Or does he?! He’s slapped it out of the hands, so it’s a knock on. Stander is off permanently now. Van der Flier to stay on.
29 min New Zealand get the ball rapidly out of the scrum and run hard and flat from deep. They get to halfway until Ireland spoil a bit and knock on, with the resultant advantage kicked wide to Dagg. The ball is knocked on by New Zealand.
27 min Ireland knock on from the resultant lineout. Aaron Smith returns to put the ball in to the scrum.
You can say that again:
@willis_macp Ireland really need to pull something out the bag to follow on from their performance in Chicago two weeks ago #COYBIG
— Chris Brown (@lost_signwriter) November 19, 2016
26 min Ireland penalty. New Zealand constantly infringing here. Joe Moody doesn’t wrap on Tadgh Furlong. Still a minute of Smith in the bin. Jackson puts this penalty into the corner.
25 min Retallick collects Barrett’s kick off but Ireland counterruck brilliantly in midfield and turn it over!
Penalty! (Jackson 24) Ireland 6-14 New Zealand.
24 min Ireland are going for the posts. It’s simple enough for Paddy Jackson. Liam Squire was the naughty New Zealander at the scrum.
23 min So we have an Ireland scrum 5m out, just to the right of the posts. The intensity here is mad. Four minutes more in the bin for A.Smith. Ireland advantage at the scrum, Murray cleans up, then they go left. Yep, back for the scrum penalty.
22 min Ireland thump up through the middle, but the ball is slow. They get the scrummage. Great attacking from Ireland, quality defence from New Zealand’s 14 men. Stander off getting treatment, Josh van der Flier on for him.
21 min Ireland go down the left. Stander thunders forward. Heaslip half-breaks down the right! New Zealand stretched.
20 min Conor Murray’s boxkick is taken well by Savea, and the ball is all over the place, eventually out right with Zebo on a knock on advantage.
19 min Ardie Savea is on for Cane, who has a knee injury. Sexton is off with a hamstring injury. Barrett kicks the penalty to touch, and New Zealand begin some phaseplay. Ben Smith replaces his namesake Aaron at 9. Barrett goes aerial but Trimble takes brilliantly.
18 min Ireland put it in the corner - but Johnny Sexton is off. More on that as we get it. Paddy Jackson on. They win the lineout but are then pinged for blocking.
Yellow card! Aaron Smith!
17 min Zebo charges down the left, the advantage is still on. Lots of phases, lots of carries, and there’s the penalty. Read and Aaron Smith getting a telling off for spoiling at the breakdown - and Smith has been sin-binned for persistent offending!
16 min Ireland win the lineout and get a rumble on. They have an advantage too.
Accra news:
@willis_macp Ryans in Accra lovely pint of the black stuff according to the reviews! Sure the match is on there! No more pub guide work!
— Toniwater (@Toniwater) November 19, 2016
15 min Ireland penalty! It’s all going on here. Rory Best is in the referee’s ear about a tackle/shoulder charge, I think by Aaron Smith. Sam Cane is down in some discomfort - a twisted knee and a bloody head for him. Sexton puts the penalty into touch on the right by the 22.
Try! (Barrett 13) Ireland 3-14 New Zealand
14 min The scrum is in the middle of the field deep in Ireland’s half. Aaron Smith picks up at the base, goes left and gives it to Beauden Barrett, who breaks through and crosses! What a scything run, what a score.
Or is it? They are having a look at the grounding, because Johnny Sexton has put in a brilliant tackle that might have held him up. The TMO thinks it is down, but the Aviva Stadium doesn’t! Try! And converted.
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13 min Ireland still have the ball. Another mammoth run of play with 10 phases before Rob Kearney grubbers. He and Ben Smith then exchange huge kicks. The last finds Beauden Barrett who breaks, dinks through, collects and tries to pass to Dagg but Trimble gets fingertips to it! Just a knock on. Try saving effort.
11 min Right, that was a very long delay indeed. Very unfortunate. A frenetic game pauses for breath. Huge reception as Henshaw is taken off. Cane a lucky boy, I reckon. Citing?
Ireland kick for touch and win their lineout. It’s scrappy in midfield as they go up the short side. Now they go right.
Scotland leading Argentina 6-3 at half time. All pens.
More central America advice!
@willis_macp Craic Irish Pub Calle 25, google Irish Pub.........! Fearing for Ireland after that start. Come on The Tullow Tank do damage
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) November 19, 2016
10 min Ireland win a penalty from the kick-off. Clock is stopped, to check Sam Cane’s tackle on Henshaw. Are there any arms in there? He just barges in, and it’s pretty high. TMO thinks he is trying to wrap. Penalty and nothing more, which appears to be against the new directives. Ireland are going to kick down field to touch. Rory Best is not happy, and Henshaw is in some serious discomfort. He’s going off on a stretcher - very long delay. Garry Ringrose is on.
Now it’s Brendan Dempsey in touch from Ghana: “And if there’s anywhere showing the match in accra I’d love to know!”
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Penalty! (Sexton 9) Ireland 3-7 New Zealand
Ireland opt to use their advantage to have a shot at goal. It’s a simple one, just to the right of the posts and Sexton makes no mistake.
8 min Conor Murray feeds, but Ireland are shoved back. Heaslip picks up, Murray goes left and there’s an offside advantage. Has Stander scored? No, he’s been held up.
7 min Shock - the scrum is being reset
6 min Rory Best’s lineout is pinched by Whitelock but Ireland scramble it back! Heaslip breaks and Sean O’Brien is fed, but is held up by Beauden Barrett! Ireland have a 5m scrum. Insane start, this.
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5 min Wow that is loose from Ben Smith. He throws a wild pass from the kick-off. Aaron Smith cleans up with a boxkick to touch. Ireland lineout 30 metres out on the left.
Try! (Fekitoa 3) Ireland 0-7 New Zealand
4 min Aaron Smith feeds Dagg, who tries to squirm over but can’t! they go to Barrett, he cross-kicks flat, and Fekitoa finishes brilliantly! He has blood all over his face. The ball was in play for three minutes there. Mad. Barrett slots the conversion. What a start.
Steven Lee with a question! Answers to me please:
“Could you please, please ask your readers whether they know of anywhere in San José, Costa Rica might be showing the Ireland match? Not quite as far-flung as Belize but it’s up there...”
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2 min Sean O’Brien tries to gather the kick-off but takes a hit and is down. The two sides spar on the right hand side. New Zealand go left and there is space for Ben Smith but then Ireland turn Julian Savea over! Murray grubbers and Savea is on the charge again. NZ go right, then up the middle. This is intense. Fekitoa into contact on the left, then Retallick through the middle, and Read up the right. Ireland soaking it up.
Kick-off!
Beauden Barrett kicks to Ireland and WE. ARE. OFF. Jaco Peyper of SA our ref by the way.
That’s the haka then. Spine-tingling as ever. No figure of eight this time. Just a straight line.
TJ Perenara leads the haka with Kieran Read at the front. It’s a year and a day, of course, since the death of the great man Jonah Lomu. New Zealand look PUMPED.
(All three) anthems done, and sung very heartily indeed. Three of the best, actually. Time for the haka.
Thank you to @toniwater for this!
@willis_macp Ireland need 2 match the savage intensity the All Blacks will bring 2day, theyre hurt big time! Molly Malones in Belize!
— Toniwater (@Toniwater) November 19, 2016
A quick shout for the reports from earlier:
- England v Fiji
- England women v New Zealand women
- Italy v South Africa
- Wales-Japan to follow
Scotland are currently 3-0 up against Argentina
Players are on their way out. You have enough time to watch this. Dublin looks a treat.
VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION!
Michael Davies has been in touch with a “plea for help”. He writes: “Long shot ... does anyone know where in Belize City might be showing the match?”
That is a long shot. Can anyone help?
Here are the teams for Ireland-New Zealand, which kicks off in about 18 minutes.
Ireland: R Kearney; A Trimble, J Payne, R Henshaw, S Zebo; J Sexton, C Murray; J McGrath, R Best, T Furlong; D Toner, D Ryan; CJ Stander, S O’Brien, J Heaslip.
New Zealand: B Smith; I Dagg, M Fekitoa, A Lienert-Brown, J Savea; B Barrett, A Smith; J Moody, D Coles, O Franks; B Retallick, S Whitelock; L Squire, S Cane, K Read
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Keith Wood is one of the BBC commentators at Murrayfield. The poor bloke must be itching to be in Dublin. Instead, he’s just seen Greig Laidlaw put Scotland 3-0. Paolo Nutini, not the Fratellis, chosen to serenade him.
Kick off moments away at Murrayfield. Heather Stanning off of rowing has just given the ref - New Zealand’s Ben O’Keeffe - the ball.
A tweet! Thanks John.
@willis_macp History 4 🇮🇪 or Black 2 Business as usual 4 NZ? Wounded All Blacks the worst kind of wounded! Close 4 65 mins then NZ by 10+!
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) November 19, 2016
Good prediction, I’d say. The All Blacks will be very, very hungry today you’d fancy. They have tucked themselves away in a rural hotel this week and haven’t said much. Brooding.
The Scots are coming onto the field at Murrayfiel do a pretty spectacular reception. The usual fare - pipes, flares, fireworks etc.
New Zealand’s Irish revenge mission is not the only rugby still to played today. Too much spring tours, as they call them in the southern hemisphere, continue. The Scots are hosting Argentina at Murrayfield - and that should be a belter - while Australia, who crept home against Scotland last week - face France in Paris at 8pm.
The Red Hot Chili Pipers are doing their thing at Murrayfield. Of course they are.
Uh oh. South Africa lost to Italy earlier, and it hasn’t gone down well among top brass.
The Springboks take losing very seriously pic.twitter.com/zqwwQP3xwQ
— Rúaidhrí O'Connor (@RuaidhriOC) November 19, 2016
Preamble
More rugby! Thank you to England and Fiji and Wales and Japan for providing the tasty hors d’ouevre, but this, in Dublin, is the one we’ve all been waiting for.
Two Saturdays ago, Ireland pulled off one of the great wins. In Chicago, where the Cubs had just ditched another great hoodoo, they drew on the emotion fuelled by the tragic and premature death of Anthony Foley to secure victory over the All Blacks - at that stage on an 18-match winning streak - for the first time in 111 years, and at the 29th time of asking. It was an extraordinary achievement, and was down to a whole lot of skill; they scored five tries to New Zealand’s four and defended like demons.
The All Blacks, as the big behemoths tend to, regrouped fast. They went to Rome, shuffled their pack, and handed Conor O’Shea’s Italians a pasting. Since, they - somewhat controversially, actually, given the efforts of the Fijian Sevens team at the Olympics - won the World Rugby team of the year again, while Beauden Barrett won player of the year and Steve Hansen coach of the year.
A loss to the Irish was no disaster, but two losses to the Irish would be, you sense. They have made five changes to the side that lost in Chicago, with the most notable being the return of their first-choice locks, Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock. Israel Dagg’s on the wing after a brace in Rome, while Anton Liernert-Brown and Malakai Fekitoa are in the centres. For Ireland, Sean O’Brien’s back on the openside in place of Jordi Murphy, who has a long-term injury.
Michael Aylwin’s in Dublin for us, and he’s written this tasty preview. He reckons the battle of the half-backs – and in particular Conor Murray and Aaron Smith - will shape the game.
Get in touch! Email: will.macpherson.freelance@guardian.co.uk or Twitter: @willis_macp
Enjoy the game ...
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