New Zealanders had been fearing it all week; an unthinkable scenario that would tip an unconvincing series into the realms of disaster.
And so it came to pass.
Ireland beat the All Blacks 32-22 to win the series, scoring three tries in a barely believable first half.
It has not gone down well. New Zealand, in fairness, have been gracious in defeat with plenty of praise going the way of Andy Farrell's men. But the press has also been scathing in its criticism of their own coach Ian Foster.
In the The New Zealand Herald, Liam Napier writes: "Before the pitchforks and effigies emerge from the angry mob demanding coaching heads it is the height of ignorance to not first acknowledge Andy Farrell's world-class, intelligent, skilled Irish team that has expertly picked apart the All Blacks over the past two weeks.
"The tourists fully deserve the recognition and acclaim coming their way. At the end of their long season this was a brutal five-match tour. Ireland emerged out the other side grinning from ear to ear. And they are sure to celebrate in style.
"For the All Blacks, though, the numbers don't lie. They are grim, in fact. Unwanted records keep mounting. This week there were no cards for the All Blacks to blame, either.
"The wolves are at the door for Ian Foster, who now has a 16 from 24 record, and his coaching team."
In the same publication Gregor Paul declares: "Beyond doubt now is that the All Blacks are clearly in a rut. They can't string together 80-minute performances and they don't seem to be able to kick-start themselves into action until they are looking at something desperate on the scoreboard.
"The performance in Wellington was considerably better than the one in Dunedin, but it still wasn't at the standard it needed to be, and the debate can't be focused on whether they are bad, or really bad.
"The thing not to lose sight of is that the All Blacks lost and that is four of the last five tests now - which is categorically red flag territory.
"Ireland have played with the speed, vision and daring that the All Blacks used to, and currently want to, but simply don't have all the nuts and pieces to get it right.
"They go home deserved winners - the dominant partners now in the relationship and hopefully some of what they brought will rub off on the All Blacks."
For Stuff - a New Zealand news media website - Marc Hinton laments: "Forget the second-half comeback. Forget the incomprehensible yellow-card decision from Wayne Barnes. The All Blacks are in a heap of trouble little more than a year out from the World Cup, and drastic change appears the only answer.
"What other conclusions can you reach on the back of yet another defeat to Ireland at Wellington's Sky Stadium on Saturday night, their third in the last four over the last seven months against the men from the Emerald Isle?
"This is probably Ireland’s finest side in their history, and this 2-1 series victory, from one down, arguably their greatest achievement. Let’s get that out there from the start. From Johnny Sexton to Tadhg Beirne to Peter O’Mahony to Robbie Henshaw to Andrew Porter to Josh van de Flier, and all their mates in between, this was a magnificent achievement from a side who know exactly who they are and dance to that tune wonderfully."
Ian Anderson ponders the bigger picture for New Zealand rugby.
"New Zealand Rugby was constantly questioned whether it had done due diligence over its deal with Silver Lake," he writes.
"Maybe the more pointed question is: Did the dog eat Silver Lake's homework?
"The US fund manager may have got to know rugby’s history, but the crystal ball on the sports future is murky for the All Blacks, all of New Zealand’s representative sides, and the game itself.
"The hotly-contested three-test series between New Zealand and Ireland which culminated in the capital last night was not one you’d gloat about to your backers if you were the Silver Lake head honchos.
"Rugby is struggling in this country at community level and has falling junior numbers.
"All those problems are magnified when the game's governing body here failed to read the tea leaves and appointed Ian Foster as the head coach through to the 2023 World Cup, when they had the code’s most successful coach at Super Rugby level waiting in the wings and wanted by the public."
And in their player ratings Jordie Barrett was given a measly 3/10: "The Hurricanes fullback couldn't shake the goalkicking issues his displayed during Super Rugby Pacific and missed a few shots he should have nailed. Outplayed by classy opposite Hugo Keenan."
Beauden Barrett received the same rating, with a synopsis of: "Peppered the Ireland back three with high kicks in a change of tactics, but the return was minimal. Improved his running game in the second half but his tactical work off the boot remains a major concern. Firmly in Sexton's shadow for past two tests."
