MAORI ALL BLACKS 24
IRELAND 30
A TOUR THAT started out in Hamilton has the potential to end up in glory for Ireland after they created another little bit of history this evening, recording their first victory over the Maori All Blacks in four attempts.
For context, it was just the third defeat the Maoris have suffered to any side in 19 years and while they were unbelievably sloppy, kicking balls straight into touch, making so many handling errors that you’d swear they were impersonating the Irish team that toured here in 1992, you still have to credit the visitors for the job they did.
To start with, coach Andy Farrell got his tactics right, sacrificing width to repeatedly attack the Maoris at close quarters, the build-up to their second try, eventually scored by Nick Timoney, highlighted everything that is good about Irish rugby right now, in terms of their comfort in possession, athleticism and understanding of their roles.
While the win helps feed the hype machine leading into Saturday’s deciding Test of this five-game tour, in the bigger picture, this was really a voyage of discovery to see which of these understudies had the ability to step up to the Test team if called upon.
We know Keith Earls, tonight’s captain, can. But he was one of only three starters who had won more than seven caps. The rest are either new kids on the block or else unheralded players such as Kieran Treadwell whose stock has risen dramatically on this tour.
Why stop there? Tom O’Toole is a find; Jeremy Loughman another surprise pick who showed soft hands and toughness in the scrum, doing enough to ensure his tour won’t be just remembered for the concussion he suffered in the opening game two weeks ago.
On that night, Ireland were authors of their own downfall, kicking poorly, lacking discipline in defence, confidence in their ability. They’ve worked a lot of those mistakes out of their system since because tonight they were good; Timoney, Jordan Larmour (two) and Gavin Coombes scoring their tries. All three proved a point.
In fact everyone did, especially when they had two players in the bin, periods when the game could have slipped out of their control but when they held the Maoris scoreless – indeed when they forced their way into their 22 and across the line for Timoney’s try.
In many ways, that was the key score of the game because it checked the Maoris momentum. From there on, there was only going to be one winner.
How ironic then that Ireland got off to a sloppy start, spilling the ball from kick-off, conceding a free kick from the resulting scrum, then a penalty two phases later.
From there, Josh Ioane kicked to the corner, the line out was won and three passes later Shaun Stephenson was cantering at an angle towards the corner. Two minutes played; five-nil to the Maoris.
You feared the worst at this stage and confidence was hardly helped when Keith Earls fired a pass straight into touch just a few minutes later. And yet, ironically, this was the moment that sparked Ireland into life, as the play – following the Maori lineout – moved right across the pitch and out of play.
Alive to the possibilities around him, Earls thieved the ball, scanned his surroundings and saw that Jordan Larmour was on the same wavelength. One swift pass later and Larmour was away, touching down under the posts, Frawley converting, Ireland leading 7-5.
That was the boost Larmour’s confidence needed for he was superb in that opening half, darting infield whenever he could, unafraid to seize control. Around him, others were impressing – Coombes with his carries, Timoney with his jackal threat, Treadwell with a crucial lineout steal, Niall Scannell with another steal in the loose.
Having said all that, it also has to be acknowledged that the Maori All Blacks messed up a series of chances; Tyrel Lomax spilling a simple pass when he had a four man overlap on 14 minutes; Kurt Eklund finding Treadwell with that lineout five metres out – at a time when Ireland had just been reduced to 14 men; TJ Perenera delivering an awful pass deep in the Ireland 22 on another occasion.
While the hosts were self-destructing, Ireland were finding a rhythm, responding to Cian Prendergast’s 17th minute yellow card with a series of fine attacks, hitting the right notes with their tip-on passes, decision making, and ability of their big men – props O’Toole and Loughman – to get involved in the play.
It all led to another score, a penalty on 26 minutes, kicked by Frawley after Eklund had failed to roll away. That put Ireland 10-5 up.
They weren’t stopping there. Another sustained attacking period saw Norris receive a yellow card for deliberately collapsing the maul, Coombes go close to scoring, Timoney eventually doing so – when he dived low to get across on 33 minutes. Frawley kicked the conversion from a tricky angle and the visitors were heading for their half-time tea with a 17-5 lead.
Two minutes after the restart it was 20-5, Timoney winning the jackal penalty, Frawley slotting the kick over from 40 metres.
And still it wasn’t entirely comfortable, Larmour yellow carded for tackling Connor Garden-Bachop off the ball, a penalty try awarded, the score now 20-12, 46 minutes played.
But by the time we got to 56 minutes and Larmour was back on the field, it was still 20-12. That was crucial; the Maoris needed to get into a flow. They couldn’t.
Instead it was Ireland who scored next, Coombes with the try, which came from an overthrow by replacement hooker, Leni Apisai, who had only been on the field five minutes and whose first real action was to apologise to his team-mates – for by now it was 25-12, Coombes bravely getting across after Ireland had gathered possession and recycled it.
Three minutes later, the Maoris hit back, Ruben Love with their third try – but it wasn’t converted, and with nine minutes left and eight points between them, they needed everything to keep going their way.
It didn’t. Stephenson, their original tryscorer, was sent to the bin a minute later for a deliberate knock on while Ireland just kept on attacking, Larmour getting his second try, Ireland’s fourth, just minutes from the end when he collected Stuart McCloskey’s brilliantly whipped pass to score in the corner.
Love then conquered all – scoring his second try of the game in the final minute but by then it didn’t matter. Job done, Ireland have won two on the spin and eye another bit of history this weekend.
Maori All Blacks scorers
Tries: Stevenson, penalty try, Love 2
Conversions: Ioane (1/3)
Ireland scorers
Tries: Larmour 2, Timoney, Coombes
Conversions: Frawley (2/4)
Penalties: Frawley (2/2)
MAORI ALL BLACKS: Josh Moorby (Ruben Love 63; Shaun Stevenson (yellow card ’71), Bailyn Sullivan, Alex Nankivell (Proctor ’63), Connor Garden-Bachop; Josh Ioane (rep: Ruben Love ‘), TJ Perenara (rep: Brad Weber’51); Ollie Norris (yellow card, 32-42; rep: Tamaiti Williams ’56), Kurt Eklund (rep: Leni Apisai ’63), Tyrel Lomax (rep: Marcel Renata ’56), Manaaki Selby-Rickit (rep: TK Howlding ’63), Isaia Walker-Leawere, Reed Prinsep (rep: Caleb Delaney ’16 -Tamaiti Williams ’39-42), Billy Harmon, Cullen Grace
IRELAND: Michael Lowry (rep: Joey Carbery ’63-73); Jordan Larmour (yellow card ’45-55), Keith Earls, Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O’Brien; Ciaran Frawley, Craig Casey (rep; Conor Murray ‘); Jeremy Loughman (rep: Ed Byrne ’61), Niall Scannell (rep: Rob Herring ‘), Tom O’Toole (rep: Michael Bent ’76), Joe McCarthy, Kieran Treadwell (rep: Ryan Baird ’57), Cian Prendergast (yellow card ’27-37), Nick Timoney, Gavin Coombes
Replacements not used: Conor Murray, Mack Hansen, Jack Conan, Rob Herring
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)