All Blacks bouncebackability shows history not on Ireland’s side

History has not been kind to sides that have beaten New Zealand. You have to go back to 2009 to find last side to complete back-to-back wins over the All Blacks, with the world champions suffering just seven defeats in 98 tests in the intervening years.

Before Soldier Field, Australia were the last side to get the better of the All Blacks in August of last year. A week later, Michael Cheika’s side were put to the sword, 41-13, in Auckland.

Prior to that, South Africa edged a thrilling test at Ellis Park, winning 27-25 in October 2014. New Zealand had to wait until the following July to exact revenge, but when the time came they prevailed 27-20 at the same venue.

England’s famous 38-21 win at Twickenham in 2012 was never likely to be repeated when the sides met the following autumn, New Zealand running out 30-22 winners.

Australia and South Africa both recorded victories within the space of seven days during the Tri Nations of 2011 but neither side was able to follow-up those wins when the sides next met.

But South Africa did manage the rarest of feats when the touring All Blacks were beaten 28-19 on July 25th, 2009, in Bloemfontein. The following week, they defeated the All Blacks again, with Morné Steyn scoring all of their points in a 31-19 win. Steyn’s performance in Durban broke the record for individual points in a Tri Nations match.

And the Springboks managed to complete a remarkable three-in-a-row clean sweep when they managed a 32-29 win on New Zealand soil in September as they claimed a first Tri Nations title since 2004.

July 25th, 2009

South Africa 28-19 New Zealand (Bloemfontein)

Aug 1st, 2009

South Africa 31-19 New Zealand (Durban)

Sep 12th, 2009

New Zealand 29-32 South Africa (Hamilton)

Oct 30th, 2010

Australia 26-24 New Zealand (Hong Kong)

Aug 20th, 2011

South Africa 18-5 New Zealand (Port Elizabeth)

Aug 27th, 2011

Australia 25-20 New Zealand (Brisbane)

Dec 1st, 2012

England 38-21 New Zealand (Twickenham)

Oct 4th, 2014

South Africa 27-25 New Zealand (Johannesburg)

Aug 8th, 2015

Australia 27-19 New Zealand (Sydney)

Nov 5th, 2016

Ireland 40-29 New Zealand (Chicago)