Paris Talking Points: Small details, the key moment, Joe Schmidt and three retirements

Our rugby correspondent in the Stade de France picks the bones from a gut-wrenching World Cup exit for Ireland

DISTRAUGHT: Ireland’s Caelan Doris with his family after the game

THE SCORE: IRELAND 24 NEW ZEALAND 28.

Ireland crashed out of the 2023 World Cup at Stade de France on Saturday night as the All Blacks inflicted another quarter-final defeat on their great rivals but if the outcome mimicked 2019’s exit in Tokyo, Andy Farrell’s men this time went out with heads held high, beaten narrowly in an all-time classic encounter.

THE KEY MOMENT.

An Ireland maul collapsed by the New Zealand pack led to a penalty try that brought the Irish to within a point of the All Blacks at 25-24 on 64 minutes. But they conceded two quick penalties, the second of which was nailed by Jordie Barrett to give his side breathing space and a heroic rearguard as Ireland pressed relentlessly for a game-winning try ended after 37 phases with a ruck penalty that secured the three-time champions’ progress to the last four.

CAN'T IGNORE.

The end of a glittering career for Johnny Sexton, the Ireland captain whose retirement at the age of 38 came not with a fairytale ending but in the nightmare scenario of another last-eight exit. Sexton went out on his shield, leading a final, last-ditch charge for glory but it was not to be. Andy Farrell confirmed in his post-match media duties that winger Keith Earls had also worn the green jersey for the last time. He was unavailable through injury on Saturday night. Ditto team manager Mick Kearney, an impressively competent and universally respected operator.

RESPECT: Ireland's Peter O'Mahony and his Munster colleague Keith Earls, who confirmed his retirement after the defeat to New Zealand. 

  

GOOD NIGHT.

For Joe Schmidt, the All Blacks attack coach who tasted bitter defeat at the hands of his countryman four years ago as Ireland boss but engineered a textbook Schmidt starter play to undo his former team on 53 minutes. The sight of Richie Mo’unga scything through a gap in the Irish line off a lineout before feeding the ball for lightning-quick wing Will Jordan to score was a thing of beauty.

BAD NIGHT.

For Ireland, obviously. Yet while it will go down as yet another World Cup quarter-final defeat, this one felt different, a matter of fine margins between two teams at the peaks of their powers. Alas for Ireland, they came up agonisingly short.

PHYSIO ROOM.

The calf injury that Mack Hansen sustained in the final pool game against Scotland seven days earlier came back to bite the wing in the second half, cutting short a terrific performance.

COACHES BOX.

While Schmidt and his boss Ian Foster will rightly take the plaudits for constructing a magnificent All Blacks victory, the progress made by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell and his coaching staff will not be undone by this defeat, as significant as it was here tonight. Ireland did little wrong at Stade de France, constructed two excellent tries scored by Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park, and the pack delivered a penalty try from a powerful maul. It just was not quite enough to overhaul New Zealand’s fast start when they raced into a 13-0 lead.

BEST ON SHOW.

New Zealand captain Sam Cane has been much-maligned over the years, not considered a worthy success to World Cup-winning skippers Richie McCaw and Kieran Read, yet the flanker came up trumps in Paris on Saturday night with an immensely impressive performance, highlighted by a game-leading 21 tackles.

REFEREE WATCH.

Wayne Barnes was in complete control but still managed to let an engrossing game flow. The English referee yellow carded All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith just before half-time for a deliberate knock-on after consultation with his TMO, correctly declining Irish requests for a penalty try, though he did award one in the second half after New Zealand collapsed a driving maul on their tryline, sin-binning hooker Codie Taylor in the process.

NEXT UP?

It’s a familiar exit for Ireland, who now go home, two weeks earlier than they had hoped, while the All Blacks march on into the semi-finals to face Argentina back at Stade de France next Friday night.

THE TEAMS.

IRELAND: H Keenan; M Hansen (J O’Brien, 56), G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe; J Sexton – captain, J Gibson-Park (C Murray, 64); A Porter (D Kilcoyne, 75), D Sheehan (R Kelleher, 64), T Furlong (F Bealham, 52), T Beirne, I Henderson (J McCarthy, 59); P O’Mahony, J van der Flier (J Conan, 59), C Doris.

Replacement not used: J Crowley.

NEW ZEALAND: B Barrett; W Jordan, R Ioane, J Barrett, L Fainga'anuku (A Lienert-Brown, 63); R Mo'unga, A Smith; E de Groot (T Williams, 63), C Taylor, T Lomax (F Newell, 63); B Retallick (D Coles, 65 -YC), S Barrett; S Frizell (S Whitelock, 59), S Cane – captain (D Papali'I, 75), A Savea.

Yellow card: A Smith 36-46, C Taylor 64-74.

Replacements not used: F Christie, D McKenzie.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)