Ireland needed earlier bench-press

NOT FOR the first time, an Irish touring party has departed New Zealand without the rewards of test victory. That said, in the context of a two test series, none have done better.

With all the other home countries completing their Southern Hemisphere turn this weekend, Ireland now face the unenviable task of travelling to Perth to face a rejuvenated Australian side.

If the Irish players were disappointed with the outcome of the first test, then they have every right to feel even more gutted by Saturday’s defeat. In many respects, the Auckland performance was even better than that in Hamilton. The character shown in turning a 17-0 deficit into 20-14 at the break says everything you need to know about the belief and resilience of this team.