There is a special atmosphere when the All Blacks come to town. They have an aura like no other sports team.This is probably heightened by the fact that Ireland have only beaten them twice in 32 attempts.
Saturday’s game at Aviva Stadium is sold out, but with the weather changing, maybe you are better off in the comfort of your own home. Put your feet up and watch 30 of the best athletes in the world do battle.
To whet the appetite for Saturday’s game, we look at five mouthwatering moments in Ireland vs New Zealand clashes...
6) A kick to win it in ’73
Having attempted to beat the All Blacks since their first meeting in 1905, Ireland came closest at Lansdowne Road on 20 January, 1973. New Zealand were playing their final game of their European tour and were looking for their fifth straight victory.
New Zealand looked to be in control of the game having scored two tries. Barry McGann had kicked two penalties to keep Ireland in the hunt. Crucially, only one of New Zealand’s tries had been converted which meant that Ireland could still clinch a famous win.
With little time left on the clock, St. Mary’s winger Tom Grace crossed the line in the corner sending the crowd wild. With the sides now level on 10 points each, McGann had one kick at goal for history. From a very tight angle, McGann’s kick looked destined to sail through the posts, only to tail off and past the far post. After coming so close, Irish fans probably didn’t think it would be another 43 years before finally getting that elusive win over New Zealand.
5) 1989 facing down the Haka
Teams facing New Zealand have tried lots of different ways to use the Haka to their advantage. Some have ignored it. Others have tried to calmly stare straight ahead. But, in 1989 Ireland decided to take the stare down to another level.
Led by Willie Anderson, the Irish team edged their way across the half way line towards to Maori war dance. Soon, Anderson was nose-to-nose with All Blacks captain, Buck Shelford. This was the first time a team had confronted a haka and laid down their own challenge. The Irish team created a bit of rugby history in that pre-match exchange, but sadly, the outcome was still the same as New Zealand ran out 32-6 winners.
4) Lomu bursts onto the scene at the 1995 World Cup
Jonah Lomu transcended rugby. He burst onto the scene at the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. With just two New Zealand caps to his name, the recently turned 20 year-old was unleashed on the biggest stage of them all. And who were the All Blacks first opponents in Pool C? Ireland, of course.
Five Irishmen couldn’t bring down the 18 stone Lomu as he set up the opening try. The winger then powered over the line to score two tries himself, before running from his own 22 line to set up an incredible try for Josh Kronfeld to score.
He finished the tournament as joint top try scorer with seven tries in five games. Lomu created many memorable moments in that tournament, including running over Mike Catt of England in the quarter-final, but it was his opening day performance against Ireland that made the world sit up and take notice.
3) The final play of 2013
After 27 failed attempts, Ireland looked set to claim their first ever victory over the All Blacks. With 30 seconds left to play, Ireland were well positioned in the New Zealand half and were closing out the game for a famous win. With 28 seconds left, Nigel Owens blew his whistle for a New Zealand penalty. What happened next showed why the All Blacks are one of the greatest sporting teams of all time. 80 metres from the Ireland line and no room for error, surely they couldn’t run the ball from there?
It took 13 incredible phases of play for New Zealand to work their way up the pitch where Ryan Crotty eventually touched down in the corner to break Irish hearts. Having given absolutely everything, there was to be even more heartache for the Irish players as Aaron Cruden was allowed to retake his conversion attempt to win the game.
As Cruden’s second attempt sailed over the bar for a 24-22 win, New Zealand completed a first in the professional era as they won every single test match they played in a calendar year. But for Ireland, it was a 28th game without a win against the All-Blacks.
2) Forming the number 8
The nation was shocked at the sudden passing of Ireland and Munster hero, Anthony Foley in October 2016. The legendary back row earned 62 caps for Ireland as well as winning two Heineken Cups with Munster. Less than a month after his passing, Ireland played their first Autumn International test against the mighty All Blacks at Soldier Field in Chicago.
As New Zealand prepared to perform their famous Haka, the Irish players lined up to form a figure of eight. The number worn so proudly by Foley. Once the crowd in the stadium and the thousands watching the game at home realized what the gesture was, it created a spine tingling moment that will never be forgotten by Irish fans.
Axel was clearly watching over the Irish team that day, as they followed up that tribute with one of the greatest displays of all time as they finally managed to beat the All Blacks. The 40-29 victory was spectacular, but those few moments before the game were very special.
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1) Home soil win in 2018
Following Ireland's defeat of the All Blacks in Chicago in 2016, there was much anticipation leading up to the meeting of the world's top two ranked teams at the home of Irish rugby in the Autumn Internationals in November 2018. Could they do it again?
Ireland had never been in better form to square up against the back-to-back world champions, coming into the contest with the Six Nations Grand Slam and a historic first win over Australia in 39 years, under their belt.
Ahead of the match, Irish fans laid their hopes on Johnny Sexton, who later went on to be named World Player of the Year in 2018. But while Sexton put in a memorable performance, it was Jacob Stockdale who sent the Aviva into a frenzy with his game-defining chip-and-gather try.
It was a nail-biting game of tiny margins but ultimately Joe Schmidt's men dug deep defensively and held off New Zealand's best efforts, securing Ireland's first ever win over the All Blacks on Irish soil.
New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen insisted before the match that while the world rankings would not change post-match, the winner would bag the rights to call themselves the best in the world. Ireland certainly earned their bragging rights and 'The Fields of Athenry' rang through the streets of Dublin that night.
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To enjoy your very own mouth-watering moment while watching the Autumn Internationals, why not sit back and relax with a glass of Trivento Reserve Malbec.
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