Rory Best has rejected a suggestion that a poor performance from New Zealand allowed Ireland to win their test meeting in Dublin on Saturday.
The hosts brought a massive intensity to the game at the Aviva Stadium and eventually saw off the world number one side with the help of three late Joey Carbery penalties.
It meant back-to-back victories against the All Blacks in Dublin ahead of a summer tour to the land of the long white cloud, where Ireland will attempt a first-ever victory over the Kiwis in the southern hemisphere.
New Zealand came into the game in Dublin having played 13 games in 2021, including victories over the USA, a weakened Wales, and Italy since the start of October.
They had only suffered one defeat in that time - a narrow loss to South Africa - as they dominated the Rugby Championship.
But Best, who retired from international duty after defeat to the All Blacks in the World Cup quarter-final two years ago, rubbished any idea that it was New Zealand tiredness that made Ireland look so impressive.
"The performance was probably as good an Ireland performance as I've seen in a long time," Best said on RTÉ's Game On.
"They dominated everywhere. A lot has been made about how this green wall went after New Zealand. Everyone said New Zealand didn't play well, but they just weren't allowed to - they were smothered.
"What was most impressive was that normally when you get Ireland in this mood it's a lot about grunt, smothering teams and then taking a chance every now and again.
"But every time that back line got the ball [on Saturday] they really looked like they would cut through New Zealand, which is no mean feat."
Best continued, "it just shows that if you can dominate territory and dominate possession, and make teams make tackles... there was a stat at one point in the first half that New Zealand had made three times as many tackles as Ireland.
"No matter who you are, or if you want to portray yourself as being invincible like the All Blacks, if you have to make three or four times more tackles than the opposition, and are constantly under pressure, then fatigue sets in and mistakes happen.
"That's what Ireland did. It was very strange to see because that's normally what New Zealand do to everyone else."
The next World Cup is just under two years away, with Ireland in Pool B alongside South Africa and Scotland. Should they finish in the top two, then it's likely to be either the All Blacks or hosts France in the last eight
It's something of an albatross around Ireland's neck that they're the only one of the old Five Nations countries never to advance past the quarter-finals of the game's biggest international event.
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There's plenty of rugby to be played between now and France 2023, including trips to Paris and London in the upcoming Six Nations tournament in the spring. That will be followed by a three-game tour of New Zealand in the summer, where the visitors are sure to have some of the hospitality they showed the Kiwis on Lansdowne Road repaid.
But Best, who was involved with Ireland for four World Cups, doesn't go for the idea that Ireland have peaked at the wrong time.
"I've seen a few pieces saying that, 'Ireland have done it again and peaked in between two World Cups', but that's nonsense," he continued.
"When you're playing international rugby you want to win. If Ireland had made a few changes with one eye on the World Cup and lost to New Zealand, then you'd be going into Argentina under pressure.
"No matter what team is selected for new Sunday [against Argentina] they're going to ride this wave that the team produced on Saturday.
"That allows you to experiment, but only a little bit. This is international rugby. You need to win, and when you win and then drop a young guy into a reasonably settled team then they can flourish - they can show the best of themselves.
"I think it's really exciting for Ireland."
Follow Ireland v Argentina (Sunday, 2.15pm) via our liveblog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, watch live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player or listen to national radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Sunday Sport.
