‘Smart’ Ireland huge challenge to All Blacks, says Foster

No one could know it at the time but Ireland’s relationship with the All Blacks changed irrevocably in November of 2013. That’s regardless of the fact that a Ryan Crotty try and an Aaron Cruden conversion pulled victory out of the fire for the visitors that day in Dublin.

The four games played between the sides prior to that had been decided by an average margin of 28.75 points. When they met in Hamilton in the summer of 2012, New Zealand won 60-0. Now Ireland approach Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final having won two of the last three.