Ireland to face All Blacks next year

Ireland look set to meet the All Blacks again after Joe Schmidt revealed the world champions have been lined up for next November’s autumn internationals.

Schmidt signed off on the 2017 Guinness Series at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night with a third victory in three weeks as Ireland defeated Argentina 28-19 in Dublin but the head coach said he was open to a repeat of his side’s 2016 November schedule of four games next season as he puts his squad on a World Cup footing 10 months out from the tournament in Japan.

That 2016 series saw Ireland play the All Blacks twice having added an extra date at the start of the month, taking them to Chicago for a historic match which saw New Zealand defeated for the first time in 111 years of trying.