And so, to the big one. Both of the bonus point wins over the last two Saturdays had served their purposes in different ways, but the dust had barely settled on Ireland’s 36-20 win over Japan in Newcastle than attention had turned to the ultimate test in Test rugby and what Andy Farrell believes will need to be “the performance of our lives”.
Ireland sign off the 2025-26 season with the daunting prospect of playing New Zealand in their Eden Park citadel. The All Blacks haven’t lost in more than 50 matches there, dating back to France beating them in 1994 with “the try from the end of the world”.
Daunting yes but, true to type, Farrell sees it a privilege too.
Reaction: Ireland run in five tries as they beat Japan
“We’re the lucky ones, we have a shot at doing something that nobody’s done, certainly in the last wee while, for a reason, because it’s their Mecca, it’s their ground where they tend to attack the game, and we’ve been on the end of that,” he said, referring to the first Test defeat there in 2022 before Ireland came back to win the series.
READ MORE
“I’ve been on the end of that plenty of times. But this is a one-off chance, and we’ve got to see what we’re made of. All you can do is be the best version of yourselves and see what that type of opportunity can bring out in you, but there has to be a realisation of what you’re coming up against as well.”
All but three of the 36-man squad have played a part, and Farrell conveyed little doubt that Robert Baloucoune will be fit after resting his tight hamstring another week.
“The lads are in fantastic spirits, on the training field, off the field. We’re two games into it now, so there’s a bit of learning to that, and we obviously knew that this was coming, and what a privilege it is that we’re able to face them. We’ve got to embrace that, and take it with both hands, and see what we can do with it.
“The spirit’s as high as it can be, but at the same time, the determined mood and the confidence that we need from Monday onwards has to build up to probably the performance of our lives, knowing what it means to them, and also what an opportunity it is for us.”
Even in defeat at Eden Park in the first Test in 2022, Ireland extracted enough positives from the match to turn that series around.
“We took a lot from the first Test. Remember, we got held up three or four times, and we took some confidence from that, but we still lost, so this is a one-off, and you’ve got to nail it first off, haven’t you? It’s a bit different.”
The All Blacks have avenged that series with that scarring and jarring 28-24 World Cup quarter-final epic in Paris, and have won another two November meetings since.
“That’s the way it’s gone now,” lamented Farrell. “They’ve belted me a good few times. I’ve been on the receiving end a good few times. So, what’s gone in the past, I’m sure that’ll count for a little bit of something, but [they have] a new coaching team, a new set-up. All of that will certainly build us a little bit more of a one-off game.”
Last Saturday’s game had been preceded by the management watching the All Blacks pull away from Italy in the second half of their preceding Nations Championship win in Wellington and putting some of those rested from the Japan game to work.
“We watched it all,” confirmed Farrell. “We had a bit of a loosener for lads, a bit of a power-up, we call it, and a skills fire-up after that, whilst the game was on. I didn’t watch the skills, I watched the [All Blacks-Italy] game.
“Italy obviously did really well, but obviously the quality came through, and they’ve got what they’ve got, and the talent that they’ve got, and the individual class, strength, power, and all of that.”
He said it will be a difficult selection meeting. “Some people will be disappointed, but that means you’re in a decent enough place. They’re all team-first type players, so they’ll all roll in and put the team ahead of themselves no matter what.”
Sean Jansen may well have played himself into the match-day squad as a replacement. But the return of Baloucoune and other frontliners from the win over Australia would seem to make the selection relatively straightforward.
Namely: Keenan, Baloucoune, Ringrose, McCloskey, Osborne, S Prendergast, Gibson-Park; O’Toole, Sheehan, Furlong, Ryan, McCarthy, Beirne, Van der Flier, Conan. Subs: Kelleher, Loughman or Bohan, Clarkson, Timoney, Jansen, Casey, Frawley, Aki.
That would make Jimmy O’Brien very unlucky.
“It’s an understatement to say he never lets you down, Jimmy, he’s way better than that, and to say he’s solid in every position, he’s way better than that as well, he’s a bloody good rugby player, so he’s doing well.”
With that, he was off. Farrell was more impatient than normal to end the post-match briefing. The two-hour morning drive back to Sydney on Sunday morning and flight to Auckland couldn’t come quickly enough. Like the week itself.
