This Friday evening, the All Blacks achieved the feat of bringing down the Clover XV in Dublin. The Irish media are not gentle but remain realistic while the New Zealand media are rubbing their hands and savoring this precious success at the dawn of the trip to Saint-Denis…
Reading the Irish and New Zealand media this Saturday, everyone seems to agree on one point: it was not the match of the year. “Against a backdrop of fighting and bad blood, this contest was not a memorable spectacle, but rather a revenge match” explains it New Zealand Herald. The rain having joined the party, this clash between two of the most playful teams on the world circuit immediately no longer had the same taste. Especially since these Irish, expected around the corner for their reunion with the Blacks, were clearly not up to the mountain that presented themselves to them on Friday evening. “This was not the Ireland we came to know under Andy Farrell’s leadership” explains Ciarán Kennedy in the columns of The42. “Far from being the best team in the world” titre The Irish Independant. “An extremely demoralizing defeat” loose as a conclusion RugbyPass.
“This is perhaps his best match in 10”: Damian McKenzie is impressed
At the end of this meeting, the Ireland coach assured: “We need to improve our mentality, get back to a neutral mindset and go after the ball the way we wanted. We got a little too desperate and as a result we didn't have the energy and precision necessary […] In short, the opposition deserved to win”. “Desperate” Irish people who have lost their spirit? One thing is certain, the indiscipline of this Clover XV was, in large part, the cause of its fall. “Mistakes are like oxygen to New Zealand and they took a deep breath of them” is it written in The Irish Independant. But in defeat, one man was the light in the night for the Irish: “Gibson-Park is one of the few to have impressed”.
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If the All Blacks also showed imprecision at certain times, one man carried his own: Damian McKenzie. In the columns of New Zealand Herald we can read: “This was perhaps his best game in 10. He took the opportunity to impress in the starting team. Reliable on high balls and runs over the line. He started the Will Jordan's try thanks to a quick pass He finished with 18 points, including a rushing kick where the ball fell off the tee.. The latter therefore scored 18 of his team's 23 points. As a reminder, the Blues will host New Zealand at the Stade de France on November 16. And these All Blacks arrive in better shape than ever: “By delivering their best performance of the year to snatch their most important scalp, the All Blacks fully deserved this victory” confirms the New Zealand Herald before specifying: “this All Blacks team evolves, matures and discovers its identity“. “Forward to Paris” concludes the Stuff.
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