Ireland 3 New Zealand 22: WALKING AWAY from Croke Park on Saturday night, one former international, who was part of the 1982 and 1985 successes, could scarcely conceal his shock at what had unfolded. He had expected the All Blacks to maintain their supremacy over Ireland, but on nothing like this scale.
While it wasn't in the realms of some previous drubbings, such as the 45-7 win on their last visit to Dublin in 2005, it wasn't far away either. Coach Declan Kidney admitted that had Ireland gone into the dressing-room level at 3-3 at half-time they would have "got out of jail".
In the event, they still did, for not alone did Dan Carter miss two eminently kickable penalties, they were denied more tries by close calls and will probably feel they butchered a couple more.
Ireland were pretty much confined to two long-range penalties in 80 minutes.
The former Ireland international wasn't alone in thinking Ireland would compete in something resembling even terms when it came to the collisions. After all, that is what happened in June in New Zealand. Ireland were pumped, up for it, well organised defensively; yet one of the game's abiding images is of All Black runners taking the ball into contact and pumping their feet to carry on for another five or 10 metres. Their excellent footwork throughout the side helped, but about the only Ireland player who looked like he could live with them in terms of pace, power and footwork was David Wallace.
For the most part, Irish carriers repeatedly ran into brick walls, whether it be the almost frighteningly physical Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw or whoever. Even Carter was getting physical and ripping balls out in the tackle.
Think of the build-up to their third try, when Mils Muliaina was tackled by Rob Kearney on the 22 and ploughed on a further 15 metres, helped in part by Kearney perhaps going in too high and Conrad Smith driving in behind the fullback. From the quick, front-foot ball that ensued, Sitiveni Sivivatu wrapped around a few runners to take Carter's pass and fire a long skip pass to Brad Thorn. He could have put McCaw over but ploughed through Tommy Bowe instead.
A template of Ireland's gameplan was to accentuate the pressure on the visitors through territory, so it didn't help that from the first recycle Ronan O'Gara's attempted line kick was charged down by Jimmy Cowan. As Kidney lamented, Ireland played too much of the first half-hour in their half.
Ireland sought to exert pressure on Keven Mealamu's throw, and the Croke Park crowd bought into that quickly, but the All Blacks maintained their composure, whereas Rory Best lost his first two throws.
The All Blacks kept three or even four players back to neutralise O'Gara's kicking game, and the Ireland outhalf - unusually - seemed to become a little rattled.
Even when he opted to crosskick to Bowe off turnover ball, O'Gara might have kicked downfield, given only Joe Rokocoko was back. Instead of kicking downfield or using four players outside him off more turnover ball, his chip was easily picked off by Cowan. And he sliced another two penalties to touch horribly. (Why wasn't Rob Kearney's left boot used for right-sided penalties to touch?).
On rare sorties downfield, Ireland went through some nice set moves, and the footwork of Luke Fitzgerald and Brian O'Driscoll's dancing feet and handling - typified by one wondrous pass out of a double tackle to Wallace - stood out. Fitzgerald hardly deserved to be replaced by Paddy Wallace, whose introduction for O'Gara a tad earlier would have been more useful all round.
But Muliaina's ensuing intercept and the blindingly quick All Blacks swarm defence - the smothering tackles by Sivivatu and McCaw on Fitzgerald and Heaslip spring to mind - meant the danger was snuffed out almost as soon it opened up. On another occasion, off rare quick ball, Tomás O'Leary (who played well overall) took five steps before delaying his pass to O'Gara, in which time O'Driscoll had over-run the ball and was penalised for crossing.
Even still, Paul O'Connell had helped drag Ireland upfield by chasing down a couple of hanging restarts by O'Gara and charging down a kick by Carter. And Ireland, somehow, were less than a minute away from the sanctity of the dressing-room and what would have been a thunderous Croke Park reception after O'Gara's long-range penalty when securing a lineout near half-way. These are what Matt Williams calls the "championship minutes".
Conceding no more points should have been absolutely paramount, but when he reviews the video O'Gara will rue his kicks to Sivivatu and Carter, and O'Driscoll will surely regret his attempt to chip to Rokocoko instead of kicking long or simply putting the ball out.
Instead, the Blacks used the full width of the pitch to counter again, before Carter supported Muliaina, dummied inside Fitzgerald and off-loaded one-handed for Ma'a Nonu to kick through.
The penalty try and Bowe's yellow card for palming the ball into touch-in-goal was entirely correct and, for all the feelings to the contrary, Mark Lawrence had a fine, unfussy game.
The effect was like taking a pin to an imaginary balloon enveloping Croke Park and let all the atmosphere out.
The All Blacks aren't the best side in the world for nothing.
Carter had chipped or grubbered four times, but upon the resumption he quickly signalled their intentions by kicking crossfield for Rokocoko.
Thereafter, simply by using the full width of the pitch the Blacks put Ireland away. They can scent blood like feline killers. Rokocoko had a run at a one-legged O'Connell, and they then went left and back right again, where Carter, Nonu and Rokocoko were running at Rory Best, O'Connell and Hayes. No contest. Nonu ran in his almost inevitable score off the winger's superb line, and Thorn's try soon followed.
To limit the damage to that in a scoreless final quarter was an achievement, and there was even a hint of a riposte before Marcus Horan missed Quinlan with his attempted skip pass when he ought to have transferred quickly to Wallace.
An anti-climax perhaps. Still, it had been a privilege to watch Carter and co strut their incomparable stuff.
There won't be a better rugby side in this country all season.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 26 mins: Carter pen 0-3; 38: O'Gara pen 3-3; 40: penalty try, Carter con 3-10; (half-time 3-10); 48: Nonu try, Carter con 3-17; 53: Thorn try 3-22.
IRELAND: G Dempsey (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), L Fitzgerald (Leinster), R Kearney (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), T O'Leary (Munster); M Horan (Munster), R Best (Ulster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), A Quinlan (Munster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements: J Flannery (Munster) for Best (58 mins), S Ferris (Ulster) for O'Connell (62 mins), E Reddan (Wasps) for O'Leary (68 mins), K Earls (Munster) for Dempsey (71 mins), P Wallace (Ulster) for Fitzgerald (75 mins), T Buckley (Munster) for Hayes (77 mins), S Jennings (Leinster) for Wallace (77 mins). Sinbinned: Bowe (40 mins).
NEW ZEALAND: M Muliaina (Chiefs); J Rokocoko (Hurricanes), C Smith (Hurricanes), M Nonu (Hurricanes), S Sivivatu (Chiefs); D Carter (Crusaders), J Cowan (Highlanders); T Woodcock (North Harbour), K Mealamu (Blues), N Tialata (Hurricanes), B Thorn (Crusaders), A Williams (Crusaders), J Kaino (Blues), R McCaw (Crusaders, capt), R So'oialo (Hurricanes). Replacements: J Afoa (Blues) for Kaino (45-53 mins) and for Tialata (53 mins), P Weepu (Hurricanes) for Cowan (60 mins), I Toeava (Blues) for Smith (64 mins), C Flynn (Crusaders) for Mealamu (66 mins), Tialata for Woodcock (68 mins), K Read (Crusaders) for So'oialo (71 mins), S Donald (Chiefs) for Rokocoko (76 mins). Not used: A Boric. Sinbinned: Woodcock (43-53 mins).
Referee: Mark Lawrence(South Africa).
