All Blacks squash 2016 demons in comeback win over Ireland in Chicago
The All Blacks made a famous comeback to beat Ireland in Chicago
The All Blacks mounted a famous second-half comeback to down Ireland 26-13 at Soldier Field, Chicago.
Scott Robertson’s side found themselves 10-7 down at the break, but three second-half tries saw them power past Andy Farrell’s men, getting revenge for their 2016 defeat on the same pitch.
Click here for the scorers
Despite losing Tadhg Beirne to a yellow card after just two minutes, which was later upgraded to red upon review, Ireland started the brighter of the two teams.
A Jack Crowley penalty gave them a 3-0 lead after just six minutes, a lead which quickly grew thanks to a Tadhg Furlong try. After strong carries from the likes of Stuart McCloskey, a clever line from the experienced tighthead prop, who played in the famous win in 2016, saw him power over from short range. Crowley’s conversion was good, giving Andy Farrell’s side go 10-0 ahead.
That try sparked the All Blacks into life, and they hit back quickly.
A delicious break from Will Jordan teleported them into the Irish 22, and quick hands saw the ball find its way into Ardie Savea’s hands, who subsequently dived over in the corner. Beuden Barrett’s touchline conversion split the uprights too, cutting Ireland’s advantage to just three.
Despite the teams swapping half-chances in the waning moments of the first-half, that was how the scoreline remained at the break.
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Upon returning to the field, Ireland again began the better of the two sides, and converted that pressure into more points with Crowley slotting another three-pointer to make it 13-7.
With the clock hitting 60, and Ireland firmly in control of the contest, you felt the All Blacks needed to score sooner rather than later if they stood a chance of winning.
And that they did.
A clever piece of handling from Tamaiti Williams saw Wallace Sititi come within inches of the whitewash, and from the resulting ruck the powerful loosehead burrowed over from short range. Barrett’s conversion again sailed through the posts, giving Scott Robertson’s side the lead for the first time.
Ireland nearly hit back immediately, but Tommy O’Brien couldn’t quite keep hold of Crowley’s clever chip-kick and the chance went amiss.
The All Blacks quickly rubbed salt into their wounds, too, as Sititi waltzed over for his side’s third. A deft pass from Barrett sent Damian McKenzie flying through a gap, and the back connected with the on-chasing back-rower to put them 21-13 ahead.
Three then became four, as Cam Roigard danced his way around the hapless Irish defence to dot down.
New Zealand nearly added a final cherry on top of a famous comeback win, with Leicester Faingaʻanuku crossing the whitewash, but this was ruled out for a forward pass in the build-up.
However, the job was already done by then. The All Blacks had their revenge.
The teams
Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (c), 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Paddy McCarthy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Caelan Doris, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Sam Prendergast, 23 Bundee Aki
New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 23 Damian McKenzie
Date: Saturday, November 1
Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago
Kick-off: 15:10 local (20:10 GMT, 09:10 NZDT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (RFU), Luc Ramos (FFR)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
FPRO: Dan Jones (RFU)