WEDNESDAY OFFERED A few hours of peace ahead of the clamour and chaos that is likely to come at Eden Park this Saturday.
Ireland wrapped up a busy few days of training with a final big pitch session at King’s College, south of the Auckland city centre, while some of the travelling media made use of a day without press conferences to venture further afield.
A 40-minute ferry takes you to the wonderland that is Waiheke Island, which has a permanent population of just under 10,000 people, although there are plenty of holiday homes dotted around, so that can triple in the summer months.
This was Great Barrier Island man Jamison Gibson-Park’s top tip for anyone visiting Auckland. The fella knows his islands, to be fair.
Despite the short spin from Auckland’s ferry terminal across to Matiatia Bay, the island of Waiheke almost feels like a different world. The sun was beaming down on Wednesday, and there was a delightful serenity to the place. Rolling vineyards, turquoise water, golden sand, undulating hills – Waiheke is spectacular.
A friendly man wearing white socks and clearly not interested in shoes rented out the bikes and away we went up and down the hills of Waiheke. Lunch with a slightly surreal view back over the Hauraki Gulf and all the way to the skyscrapers of Auckland made every bit of the physical effort worthwhile.
Waiheke is more built up than a decade ago but maintains that unique spirit of island life. If you’ve ever been to some of the Irish beauties like Inis Oírr, Arranmore or Whiddy Island, you know the atmosphere, even if Waiheke is much bigger.
There was collective hope that the ferry home on Wednesday evening would be cancelled, but Thursday meant a return to the whirlwind that is life covering a big rugby tour like this one. Eden Park week has seen things go to a different level.
Whereas in Sydney, even a sold-out Wallabies Test didn’t make much dent on wider life, the Kiwis are buzzing for this one. When the locals in Auckland hear the accent and see the relentless tapping away on the laptop, they often guess that it’s a member of the Irish media over to cover the Test.
Rugby league has continued to grow in New Zealand and other sports like basketball have made a dent, but rugby union remains akin to a religion. The All Blacks are still very big business.
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The All Blacks' haka at Eden Park last year. Photosport / Brett Phibbs/INPHO
Photosport / Brett Phibbs/INPHO / Brett Phibbs/INPHO
Ireland and New Zealand have now confirmed their match-day 23s for a game in which the Kiwis are firm favourites, but Ireland hope to make history by winning for the first time at the Auckland venue. The All Blacks haven’t lost there since 1994.
It was ideal that Farrell had his full 36-man touring party to choose from. It’s questionable whether every one of them is genuinely ‘fully fit’ heading into the final game of the campaign. Usually, there are people carrying niggles. But this is not the kind of week where you offer up admission of any physical discomfort.
Everyone wants to be part of what they hope will be a history-making night in Auckland.
Jimmy O’Brien’s good form has been rewarded with his third consecutive Test start, this time on the left wing after Jamie Osborne and Jacob Stockdale started the opening two games of this campaign in the number 11 shirt. Evidently, neither nailed it down.
O’Brien switches over from the right wing and will relish this major chance, all the more so after what he described as the bitter disappointment of not being involved in the biggest days of Leinster’s season in the Champions Cup and URC.
This shot on the left wing comes with James Lowe having exited Irish rugby and with the likes of Tommy O’Brien, Mack Hansen and Shayne Bolton – all options on the left – missing this tour due to injury.
Farrell was also deprived of the services of captain Caelan Doris, blindside flanker Ryan Baird, out-half Jack Crowley and the loosehead trio of Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle, among others, for this Nations Championship trip.
Remembering those missing men adds even more context to the challenge at Eden Park on Saturday. And yet, Farrell loves this kind of test.
He has always stressed that one person’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. In that sense, it is exciting to see Sean Jansen rewarded for his excellent debut against Japan by being named on the bench against his native New Zealand.
He will have a big crew of family and friends supporting him in Auckland, all of them proud of his remarkable journey from playing for Green Island RFC in Dunedin, to getting a chance in the Heartland Championship for North Otago, to wearing the green jerseys of Connacht and now Ireland.
All Blacks boss Dave Rennie before training earlier this week. Brett Phibbs / INPHO
Brett Phibbs / INPHO / INPHO
Otherwise, Ireland’s team is rather unremarkable, which Farrell probably likes. He will aim for Ireland’s understanding of each other to be a strength against a New Zealand team playing just their third game under new head coach Dave Rennie and his staff.
Farrell is evidently enjoying the build-up and took the chance to visit rugby league’s New Zealand Warriors on Wednesday evening along with some of his Ireland assistants.
Saturday presents a chance for Farrell to land his latest landmark achievement, while his counterpart, Rennie, aims to avoid what would be a damaging loss.
It would be a real blight on Rennie’s tenure to give up the Eden Park record early on, so we must expect him to have the All Blacks approaching boiling point for Saturday after warming up with wins over France and Italy.
That said, Rennie has been quick to move the conversation away from the Eden Park record in his two media briefings this week. Longstanding records like this one can occasionally become a weight as much as a boost.
The big talking point in New Zealand around Rennie’s selection is his decision to move Tupou Vaa’i from the second row to blindside flanker, much like Ireland have shifted Tadhg Beirne from lock to the number six shirt.
It was impossible to keep track of the number of mentions of “set-piece” this week, with both teams ultra-focused on that element of the game.
The All Blacks are well aware that Ireland will look to their kicking game for access, attempting to draw relative newcomer Ruben Love and the more experienced Damian McKenzie into one-on-one duels in the air.
There is real respect for Ireland here these days, a drastic change from the past, yet there’s no doubt that New Zealand still expects.
Given the Kiwis’ record at Eden Park, this is right up there as the ultimate one-off challenge in rugby.
It’s up to Ireland to rattle the All Blacks and make the place feel more like a cage than a fortress.
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Auckland the ultimate place for Farrell's Ireland to wrap their season
WEDNESDAY OFFERED A few hours of peace ahead of the clamour and chaos that is likely to come at Eden Park this Saturday.
Ireland wrapped up a busy few days of training with a final big pitch session at King’s College, south of the Auckland city centre, while some of the travelling media made use of a day without press conferences to venture further afield.
A 40-minute ferry takes you to the wonderland that is Waiheke Island, which has a permanent population of just under 10,000 people, although there are plenty of holiday homes dotted around, so that can triple in the summer months.
This was Great Barrier Island man Jamison Gibson-Park’s top tip for anyone visiting Auckland. The fella knows his islands, to be fair.
Despite the short spin from Auckland’s ferry terminal across to Matiatia Bay, the island of Waiheke almost feels like a different world. The sun was beaming down on Wednesday, and there was a delightful serenity to the place. Rolling vineyards, turquoise water, golden sand, undulating hills – Waiheke is spectacular.
A friendly man wearing white socks and clearly not interested in shoes rented out the bikes and away we went up and down the hills of Waiheke. Lunch with a slightly surreal view back over the Hauraki Gulf and all the way to the skyscrapers of Auckland made every bit of the physical effort worthwhile.
Waiheke is more built up than a decade ago but maintains that unique spirit of island life. If you’ve ever been to some of the Irish beauties like Inis Oírr, Arranmore or Whiddy Island, you know the atmosphere, even if Waiheke is much bigger.
There was collective hope that the ferry home on Wednesday evening would be cancelled, but Thursday meant a return to the whirlwind that is life covering a big rugby tour like this one. Eden Park week has seen things go to a different level.
Whereas in Sydney, even a sold-out Wallabies Test didn’t make much dent on wider life, the Kiwis are buzzing for this one. When the locals in Auckland hear the accent and see the relentless tapping away on the laptop, they often guess that it’s a member of the Irish media over to cover the Test.
Rugby league has continued to grow in New Zealand and other sports like basketball have made a dent, but rugby union remains akin to a religion. The All Blacks are still very big business.
Ireland and New Zealand have now confirmed their match-day 23s for a game in which the Kiwis are firm favourites, but Ireland hope to make history by winning for the first time at the Auckland venue. The All Blacks haven’t lost there since 1994.
It was ideal that Farrell had his full 36-man touring party to choose from. It’s questionable whether every one of them is genuinely ‘fully fit’ heading into the final game of the campaign. Usually, there are people carrying niggles. But this is not the kind of week where you offer up admission of any physical discomfort.
Everyone wants to be part of what they hope will be a history-making night in Auckland.
Jimmy O’Brien’s good form has been rewarded with his third consecutive Test start, this time on the left wing after Jamie Osborne and Jacob Stockdale started the opening two games of this campaign in the number 11 shirt. Evidently, neither nailed it down.
O’Brien switches over from the right wing and will relish this major chance, all the more so after what he described as the bitter disappointment of not being involved in the biggest days of Leinster’s season in the Champions Cup and URC.
This shot on the left wing comes with James Lowe having exited Irish rugby and with the likes of Tommy O’Brien, Mack Hansen and Shayne Bolton – all options on the left – missing this tour due to injury.
Farrell was also deprived of the services of captain Caelan Doris, blindside flanker Ryan Baird, out-half Jack Crowley and the loosehead trio of Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle, among others, for this Nations Championship trip.
Remembering those missing men adds even more context to the challenge at Eden Park on Saturday. And yet, Farrell loves this kind of test.
He has always stressed that one person’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. In that sense, it is exciting to see Sean Jansen rewarded for his excellent debut against Japan by being named on the bench against his native New Zealand.
He will have a big crew of family and friends supporting him in Auckland, all of them proud of his remarkable journey from playing for Green Island RFC in Dunedin, to getting a chance in the Heartland Championship for North Otago, to wearing the green jerseys of Connacht and now Ireland.
Otherwise, Ireland’s team is rather unremarkable, which Farrell probably likes. He will aim for Ireland’s understanding of each other to be a strength against a New Zealand team playing just their third game under new head coach Dave Rennie and his staff.
Farrell is evidently enjoying the build-up and took the chance to visit rugby league’s New Zealand Warriors on Wednesday evening along with some of his Ireland assistants.
Saturday presents a chance for Farrell to land his latest landmark achievement, while his counterpart, Rennie, aims to avoid what would be a damaging loss.
It would be a real blight on Rennie’s tenure to give up the Eden Park record early on, so we must expect him to have the All Blacks approaching boiling point for Saturday after warming up with wins over France and Italy.
That said, Rennie has been quick to move the conversation away from the Eden Park record in his two media briefings this week. Longstanding records like this one can occasionally become a weight as much as a boost.
The big talking point in New Zealand around Rennie’s selection is his decision to move Tupou Vaa’i from the second row to blindside flanker, much like Ireland have shifted Tadhg Beirne from lock to the number six shirt.
It was impossible to keep track of the number of mentions of “set-piece” this week, with both teams ultra-focused on that element of the game.
The All Blacks are well aware that Ireland will look to their kicking game for access, attempting to draw relative newcomer Ruben Love and the more experienced Damian McKenzie into one-on-one duels in the air.
There is real respect for Ireland here these days, a drastic change from the past, yet there’s no doubt that New Zealand still expects.
Given the Kiwis’ record at Eden Park, this is right up there as the ultimate one-off challenge in rugby.
It’s up to Ireland to rattle the All Blacks and make the place feel more like a cage than a fortress.
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All Blacks Ireland Letter from New Zealand Waiheke Island