Ireland rue luck on ‘wheel’ of misfortune

At 19-points apiece and with six minutes remaining in an epic Test, the Irish and New Zealand packs got ready to pack down on the right-hand side of the pitch in a pulsating AMI Stadium.

For the most part, the scrum had been an even contest on a bitterly cold night in Christchurch, but when All Blacks tight head Owen Franks left the field to be replaced by his brother Ben approaching the hour mark, the balance of power at the coalface shifted completely.

Mike Ross, back with a bang after missing the opening Test in Auckland, began to put the squeeze on Tony Woodcock while the older Franks brother struggled big time on his introduction to the battle.