Donal Lenihan: This was one of those magical sporting experiences that will stay with you forever
STAND AND DELIVER: James Lowe of Ireland celebrates a turnover against New Zealand at Aviva Stadium. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Enjoyment first. Caveats later. The global pandemic has imposed sufficient restrictions to recognise that when something glorious unfolds before our eyes, that serves to lift the public mood and allows us feel good about ourselves, we need to accept it for what it is.
Matches that extend to over two hours due to incessant interaction between the referee and his TMO have bored the life out of us in recent times. Not on this occasion. Long after Luke Pearce blew the final whistle, nobody dared leave their seats. Even the vanquished New Zealanders were reluctant to depart the scene of a rare defeat, conducting a circumnavigation of the field â in the circumstances, you could hardly call it a lap of honour â in acknowledgment of their frenzied surroundings.
Lansdowne Road was a really special place to be last Saturday. It was one of those days when everyone on board, in the stands and on the field, recognised their roles. The opportunity to play against New Zealand, whatever the circumstances, sets the heartbeat racing that little bit faster. You know you have to perform at a different level.
Itâs no coincidence that the most atmospheric days witnessed at the new Aviva Stadium have coincided with games against New Zealand in 2013, 2016, and 2018. This time out, the performance of the Kape OâPango, the specific Haka designed exclusively for the All Blacks back in 2005 but used by them sparingly, sent the crowd into a tizzy and lifted the decibels to new levels before the ball was even kicked.
This was one of those truly special occasions, one of those magical sporting experiences that will stay with you forever. Ireland went 29 games in this series before recording a win, that memorable victory in Chicagoâs Soldier Field in 2016.
For years New Zealand appeared invincible to Irish eyes yet, incredibly, Ireland have now won three of the last five encounters between the two sides. While the clock of invincibility has well and truly evaporated at this stage, the challenge now is to beat them when it really matters, at a World Cup.
After 13 tests since early July, there was always the possibility that New Zealand would struggle to match the raw enthusiasm, sustained physical energy, and relentless pressure that an ever improving Irish side were capable of delivering on a day when the traditional elements of unrelenting physicality, unbridled passion, and a will to keep going to the final whistle merged in an indefatigable cocktail of belligerence.
Ireland have produced performances like this before but rarely on the back of such a positive mindset, characterised by taking the masters on at their own game. Andy Farrell and his coaching squad deserve immense credit for this win. For some time now they have been tweaking the way Ireland play with less emphasis on confrontation and more on subtlety.
Against Japan, we saw a lot of Irelandâs recent focus on keeping the ball alive, playing out of the tackle and kicking away less possession come to fruition. All well and good but, would it be possible to replicate that template against a team that has held the franchise on playing that way for so long? If so, would they have the belief and conviction to sustain that effort when the rewards were less than forthcoming?
For Ireland to retreat to the dressing room five points in arrears after dominating 70% of territory and possession, after forcing New Zealand to make 160 tackles â Ireland only had to make 37 â over the course of an enthralling opening 40 minutes was hugely concerning.
New Zealand, even by their standards, could hardy comprehend how they had reached that point in the contest with a 10-5 lead, having been on the back foot for the entire opening half. At least the break offered their highly experienced management the chance, as they so often do, to regroup and reassess the many threats posed by this flamboyant Irish team before seeking to put them back in their box.
What they didnât account for was the message being preached across the corridor in the Irish changing room. The first-half evidence suggested that New Zealand were flagging physically. That monstrous defensive effort in the opening half would only serve to drain them even more and the message from Farrell was to lift the tempo even more, pile on the pressure and score early.
That is exactly what happened when Irelandâs outstanding hooker Ronan Kelleher dotted down from close range to level the score after only four minutes of renewed action. The fact that Johnny Sexton, once again the target of late hits, failed with his conversion mattered little as Ireland had the psychological lift their first-half efforts so richly deserved.
The most pleasing aspect of this win was the way it was achieved and that Ireland were able to replicate the all-action, offloading game that impressed so much against Japan. This was made possible by a rock-solid scrum and a lineout platform that has operated with ruthless precision since Paul OâConnell was added to the coaching staff.
That enabled the Irish back row to play on the front foot. Individually and collectively, they were superb in completely dominating their New Zealand counterparts. Ardie Savea has enjoyed an outstanding season in black, dominating the best South Africa, Australia, and Argentina could throw at him.
Working hard on the heels of that rampaging back row, scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park had another excellent outing, playing at a tempo that justified Farrellâs faith in selecting him. All of a sudden the box kick has been erased from the playbook and Ireland are better for it.
Credit too to James Lowe, another player carrying a heavy burden from last seasonâs Six Nations into this autumn series of games. The more he gets the ball in his hands, the more opportunities appear to open up for players around him while his finishing has always been top class.
Quite rightly, his decision-making in defence was questioned on the back of some costly errors and once he set out to recognise and rectify that, he was always going to be a valuable addition to Irelandâs attacking armoury. He has been a revelation in the last two games.
The final piece of the jigsaw on Saturday came from a far more impactful bench from which Tadhg Beirne and Peter O'Mahony made a number of telling contributions when the game still hung in the balance. Unusually, none of New Zealandâs finishers managed anything near the same impact.
Perhaps the biggest bonus on the day also came from that sector when Joey Carbery stood up to the mark when called upon to replace Sexton with 16 minutes left to play with three points separating the teams. His first cap arrived in similar circumstances against the same opposition in Chicago five years ago.
If that winning debut against New Zealand was the stuff of dreams, his journey since and the setbacks endured when damaging his ankle on the eve of the 2019 World Cup has been one continuous nightmare. His general play and, more importantly, the nerves of steel he displayed in nailing the three penalty kicks necessary to copperfasten this win will work wonders for his confidence.
As for the caveat. Sexton addressed that immediately after the game. This win represents the starting point on the road to the 2023 World Cup. Taken in isolation it means little apart from the confidence-boosting nature attached to the win and the manner with which it was achieved.
The next big step on the road is to try and secure a first ever win over the All Blacks on New Zealand soil. Ireland will get three cracks at achieving just that next July. Six Nations apart, that has to be the next big target.
