IAN FOSTER, THE New Zealand coach, feels his side were hard done by after Akira Ioane had his second-half try disallowed for a forward pass from his brother, Rieko.
The moment was a decisive game-changer in the overall drama of the day as New Zealand were denied the chance to retake the lead. Instead they had to settle for a Jordie Barrett penalty, the final time they would score.
Afterwards Foster felt the need to address the Ioane incident while mentioning that Ireland frustrated the All Blacks by slowing the game down in the closing stages.
“Ireland held the ball for long periods,” said Foster. “At the end we just didn’t have to composure to take the opportunity we had presented to us and they just played a pressure game.”
Other things irked Foster, such as Ireland’s ability to play ‘hide the ball’ in the first-half, but mainly the decision of the TMO to chalk off Ioane’s try.
Foster said: “You have got to give Ireland credit for the way they held the ball for long periods and at the end I was delighted that our defence stood up pretty strong against them. We conceded one try and got a yellow card but apart from that, I thought we were in a reasonably good position at half-time.
“I thought Akira’s was a great try but the TMO didn’t and that’s probably the story of the game.
“For the last 15 minutes there were a lot of stoppages and there was a lot of cramping, a lot of deliberate slowing the game down which was a bit frustrating. Sometimes, when you don’t have a lot of ball, you have to send a lot of people to rucks whereas we could commit only one tackler.
“So I think it was their ability to take the opportunity when it was presented to them was the difference in the game. When you are playing a real quality team you have to do that.
“Akiri’s try was really, really marginal.”
Overall, Foster accepted that these games in Dublin are a finishing school for emerging players – players who steamrollered easier opposition on this tour but were found wanting today.
“I think it is three years since we’ve been up here,” said Foster. “For a number of the players that haven’t been in a big test up here, they have learned how it’s very different. It’s a very high pressure game. You’ve got to deal with it at the top end; you’ve got to be disciplined. I think there was a little bit of frustration not getting the ball and then we started to concede some penalties as a result of that.
“Sometimes you just have to roll up your sleeves and fight your way back into the game. Ireland play a high retention game and by doing that, they put our system under pressure. There is certainly a desire to play with a little bit more ambition and in counter attack.
“Don’t get me wrong, I thought that was a very, very good performance from Ireland, probably the best performance I’ve come up against in my time. I thought they were pretty polished. Sometimes you just got to accept you are second best on the night.”
All Blacks captain, Sam Whitelock, added: “For us the referee has to make sure it’s the right call. So if they need time they can take it.
“We scored points early but they we had hoped to kick on and get in front and put some scoreboard pressure on them. We didn’t finish the way we wanted to. Still, I have to say that we’re very lucky as All Blacks we play all around the world. Coming to Dublin, it is special, one of the most special places in the world to play.”
