Ronan O'Gara: Why Sam Whitelock's absence is a second test game-changer

Crusader is a modern-day Paul O’Connell with an IQ that very few people in world rugby have or appreciate

BIG MISS: The All Blacks will feel the absence of talisman Sam Whitelock in Dunedin on Saturday.

Of all the reasons for Ireland to have a palpable sense that their test series in New Zealand is still up for grabs, nothing compares in real terms to the All Blacks losing their standard-setter, Sam Whitelock.

The Crusaders lock’s unavailability due to delayed concussion equates to a massive development in terms of a momentum shift. Whitelock is a ten-to-fifteen point game-changer for the All Blacks and if that sounds crazy, it is a measure of the significance I afford his absence having watched and worked at close hand with Sam for two years in Christchurch.