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Brutal does not even begin to describe the contest, but for Ireland, the result is as beautiful as any other in their rugby history. For the first time, they beat the All Blacks on Irish soil and not a single Kiwi can say that it was not deserved. If New Zealand is still officially the best team in the world, it did not feel like that at the final whistle.
It was a legendary evening in Dublin. New Zealand may have escaped England in Twickenham, but not this time; The world champions have been harassed and harassed by a team that is as composed and clinical as physical and powerful. A solitary attempt in the 48th minute scored by Jacob Stockdale did not fully reflect Ireland's dominance down the line.
Sometimes it looked like one of those old school heavyweight fights: Ali versus Foreman, the whole world watching. The body shots were shaking, the absolute commitment on both sides from the first to the last. Ireland, smart and precise; New Zealand remains stubbornly in the fight until the end.
Rugby like this is as basic as anything. A small gap is enough to change the course of matches as muffled as this one and, after an early penalty of Johnny Sexton, Ireland was quickly reminded of this fact. A minute later, the ball was removed from the hands of Rory Best, the following New Zealanders were absent at the break, the counterattack ending with Ireland being penalized for being held in the deepest of his half.
Ireland has come back intrepid. After a penalty at hand, they headed for the corner, which was clearly a decision made in advance. If that did not quite match the seven points they wanted, New Zealand had to struggle desperately to find itself under the pressure of the resulting scrum. Playing with advantage, Sexton slumped into a small left foot chip for Rob Kearney, which Jack Goodhue could not recover. The referee, Wayne Barnes, thought it was a trial at first, but the TMO spotted a partial shock by Kearney on the ground. In contrast, Ireland was sentenced to a new penalty for Sexton, but Beauden Barrett equalized again with another goal in which he suddenly specializes.
The All Blacks, however, had to take shortcuts to hang on. The half-time penalty count was nine to two against the visitors; they had more than the chance to keep 15 men on the ground. "The next is going in the trash," Barnes announced but, eventually, the half-time whistle arrived just in time for Kieran Read's team. A third penalty from Sexton, one minute before the break, put the Irish nose in the foreground but, over the rest of the match, they would have hoped for more than a 9-6 advantage.
Another day, facing different opponents, the percussion energy of the Irish rear row and their indefatigable before-five would have had a much greater reward. Tadhg Furlong was far from alone but what emerald totem he is becoming. Upon entering the game, the leading player had already played five tries against New Zealand for Ireland and the Lions and had lost only two. Devin Toner is superb at raises and Josh van der Flier stands out in his scarlet headguard on the open flank, the world champions still have work to do.
Already missing Sam Cane's musculature, they have also lost Liam Squire, who has been replaced by Scott Barrett. They needed a break that happened almost four minutes after the restart. Stockdale, hitherto on the wing, attempted a small token over the cover's advance, before Read charged him. If the captain of the Kiwi had seized the rebound, it was surely a sweet seven points; instead, to the relief of the majority of the stadium, he could not quite do it.
So often, such moments encourage New Zealand to find other equipment. This time, Ireland has kept the clear mind. Sexton, eager once again to explore the possibilities of blindness, passed the ball to Bundee Aki who, in turn, gave food to Stockdale. This time, the Ulster winger's chip was perfect, as was the rebound. He slipped in spite of the attentions of Aaron Smith and Damian McKenzie, and Aviva ascended to heaven.
Steve Hansen has already spoken of the losses in November that look like pebbles under his beach towel. This will be an important rock, with important long-term implications. The next time these two teams meet may be at Yokahama on November 2, 2019 with the Webb Ellis Cup in play. All sorts of other permutations remain possible, but if both parties win their respective pools, it could well be result in another Rumble in the Jungle. If this is the case, Ireland will not be at all reassured by this possibility.
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