Steve Hansen put a brutal spotlight on the type of experience in Ireland's team after his All Blacks filleted Joe Schmidt's side in Tokyo tonight.
After paying tribute to Joe Schmidt and Rory Best, whose Ireland careers ended with the 46-14 defeat in the World Cup quarter-finals, Hansen addressed the spotlight put on himself during the week for selecting an inexperienced quartet in his backline.
Sevu Reece, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown and George Bridge were the players in question and it was predicted that Ireland, with a host of World Cup, Six Nations and Champions Cup experience in their ranks, would look to exploit them.
"Experience is a funny thing," said Hansen, analysing the Ireland line-up. "What is it they've experienced at?
"That's the test.
"A lot of our guys have been involved in championship winning teams in Super Rugby, and that's why you select them.
"Their enthusiasm, excitement and ability to play the game in a formula is really important.
"It was interesting how many Ireland had, because half of our team had played in a (World Cup) knock-out match and won it.
"Ireland's experience was of not winning - and we had 11 guys with experience of winning.
"That's why you've got to be careful when you talk about experience.
"Just because you've played for a long time, you might have been something, but you might have been nothing along the way."
Much was also made of Ireland beating the All Blacks in two of their three previous meetings prior to tonight.
"I don't know if you can call it a monkey (off our back)," said Hansen. "But we got reminded, and reminded and reminded and reminded that we'd lost to Ireland.
"All Blacks don't tend to forget. They know that and they don't forget it
"We remember our losses way more than we remember our wins.
"It's banked but it's not something you go and talk about. Just everyone knows it.
"The circumstances have ended up that we played a team we respect a lot tonight.
"They are a hard team to play against and we had to spend a lot of time getting ourselves right.
"Because we knew that if we didn't we would go home".
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