Ireland 24
New Zealand 28
ANDY FARRELL TOLD us this would be proper living. And the feelings that swung wildly between elation and worry and optimism and dejection are certainly part of life.
But the emotional endpoint tonight for Ireland is deep disappointment at yet another World Cup quarter-final defeat. This is the eighth one. The glass ceiling remains to be broken. Who knows when it will finally happen?
It had felt like Farrell’s team were the ones who could do it. They have beaten all before them over the past two years and came into this clash in Paris as the marginal favourites, a position that would once have been unimaginable. It had been earned.
Sadly for Farrell and co., they met a New Zealand team who meant business. Ian Foster’s side were viciously physical, led by captain Sam Cane, and utterly ruthless when they had attacking chances. To give them their due credit, this was a sensational All Blacks performance. They deserve their semi-final against Argentina next Friday.
A dire first quarter cost Ireland dearly as they watched the Kiwis race into a 13-0 lead inside the opening 20 minutes and though Farrell’s side drew themselves back into the contest and trailed by only a point at the break, it proved to be an insurmountable hill. They played brilliant rugby at times tonight but came out second best.
The Kiwis always had the thrilling attacking incision required to just about keep Ireland at arm’s length – even when they lost a man to the sin bin in either half – and though the endgame was incredibly dramatic, with Farrell’s men going to 37 phases in a desperate bid to steal it at the death, the outcome feels all too familiar for Irish rugby supporters.
There was an emotional scene before kick-off as Ireland formed a figure of eight in memory of the late Anthony Foley when they faced the haka, with the Irish support drowning out the Kiwis with a rendition of The Fields of Athenry.
Unfortunately for Farrell and co, they couldn’t offer similar resistance to the Kiwi onslaught in that opening quarter. They will feel they conceded three tries to Foster’s side just a little too easily, their scrum gave up key penalties, while several breakdown turnovers were also damaging.
It’s a sad ending to the career of the great Johnny Sexton, who now bows out from professional rugby in disappointment.
Ireland will have to wait another four years for their next chance to finally make history.
Farrell’s men started the game with two penalty concessions that left them defending in their own 22 with just three minutes gone.
They delivered a genuinely remarkable 30-phase effort to repel the Kiwis, with Tadhg Furlong leading the way physically, but Tadhg Beirne got caught on the wrong side of a tackle at the end of it and Richie Mo’unga popped over the first three points.
Still, it felt like something of a victory for Ireland. They were frustrated with their own first visit to Kiwi territory, though, as the lineout was shaky and then Hugo Keenan’s offload under pressure to James Lowe didn’t go to hand and instead found the touchline.
When Cane soon smashed Caelan Doris in a tackle on first-phase of an Irish lineout attack, Ardea Savea pounced for a turnover penalty and inside centre Jordie Barrett smashed over a penalty from nearly 50 metres out. 6-0 All Blacks.
Ireland had another miss in the Kiwi 22 in the 17th minute after some excellent build-up work by Hansen, Gibson-Park, and Ringrose, with New Zealand lock Brodie Retallick jackaling to steal the ball just under his own posts.
A minute later, yet another breakdown turnover for the All Blacks as Cane pounced over the isolated Josh van der Flier.
And then came what felt at the time like a grevious blow for Ireland. Lowe kicked long out of his own 22 in the 20th minute but Beauden Barrett responded with a stunning chip and regather before Jordie swung the ball out to the left, where Leicester Fainga’anuku and Rieko Ioane played a brilliant 1-2 to finish. It was the kind of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it score the All Blacks are famous for.
13-0 down after the opening quarter, Ireland really needed something. They got it from the restart as Shannon Frizell was penalised for obstructing the chasing Hugo Keenan. Sexton slotted a settling three points from the tee.
New Zealand were soon lucky not to see Mo’unga carded for a high tackle into Aki’s jaw, but Ireland could finally sense some momentum tilting their way. Keenan nearly found Sexton with an offload on the next attack in the Kiwi 22 before they finally got return in the 28th minute.
The build-up was superb from the slaloming Hansen and side-stepping Dan Sheehan down the right, Keenan threatened out on the left, then Lowe swung the ball back right to Aki. He gathered overhead and stepped back inside Ioane, then Frizell before straightening to finish through Tyrel Lomax and Aaron Smith.
Sexton converted a stunning finish and Ireland were back within three points.
But this rip-roaring half turned again soon after as Kiwi wing Will Jordan delivered a brilliant 50:22 kick from the middle of the pitch. New Zealand struck clinically off it as Jordie Barrett and Cane carried to earn penalty advantage, then slick hands from Jordan and Ioane put Savea away in the right corner.
Still, Ireland looked fairly composed and they came back at the Kiwis. Another strong phase-phase attack saw Hansen looking to offload inside to Gibson-Park but Smith deliberately knocked it on and the TMO review showed referee Wayne Barnes that it was a yellow card.
Sexton ignored the chance to kick at goal and went down the touchline. Savea was lucky not to be carded for blatantly playing the ball in a ruck on the ensuing attack, but Ireland put that penalty back into the left corner. Though the maul was slowed up, Gibson-Park darted off it, inside Jordan’s tackle attempt and underneath Savea for a superb try.
Sexton converted again and Ireland were within a point at 18-17 at half time.
With The Fields of Athenry ringing out to greet the second half, Ireland had further chances against 14-man New Zealand. A Hansen 50:22 gave them a platform but Gibson-Park’s crossfield bomb kick to O’Mahony was knocked on by the Irish back row.
Two minutes later, with Smith readying himself to return, Hansen’s crossfield kick just evaded Sheehan on the right touchline. Frustratingly for Ireland, they followed up by conceding a scrum penalty to let the Kiwis out.
Farrell’s men were back down in the 22 just minutes later as a scything counter-attack deep from inside their own half after a Porter turnover and beautiful hands from Ringrose. Lowe twice surged forward on the left but Savea came up with a massive breakdown turnover penalty when his side appeared to be on the ropes.
New Zealand cleared the penalty to touch and, typically, scored in the blink of an eye on first phase. Mo’unga scythed in between Sheehan, sub tighthead Finlay Bealham, who got a little left behind, and van der Flier far too easily, sprinted 60 metres, and put Jordan away for a try that stunned the Irish fans.
Jordie Barrett added to the pain with the conversion for 25-17 and Ireland lost Hnsen to injury just a couple of minutes after as his calf gave in.
It felt like momentum had deserted Ireland altogether so when they got a penalty after Ioane failed to roll away from a tackle, they had to go for goal. From a very kickable position, Sexton had a bad miss.
Ireland kept coming. A big linebreak from Keenan took them into the Kiwi 22 once again. The All Blacks infringed at the breakdown five metres out and Ireland went into the corner.
With 64 minutes played, it felt like a huge moment. Ireland nailed it. Beirne won the lineout, the maul thundered forward, Codie Taylor collapsed it, and Barnes gave the penalty try. Taylor went to the bin and Ireland were back within a point at 25-24.
With Taylor in the bin, it felt like opportunity knocked for Ireland but another scrum penalty against them for not driving straight gave Jordie Barrett another long-range shot at goal. He missed it from 45 metres out to the right of the posts.
But Ireland gave him another shot from a better position as replacement scrum-half Conor Murray was pinged for pulling at Barrett himself as he went to contest a high ball. 40 metres out and more central, Jordie nailed this one.
Trailing 28-24 with 11 minutes to go, Ireland needed to dig deep once again.
It was Aki once again who came up with a big play. Murray had grubbered ahead from a Sexton offload and Aki snaffled the Kiwis in the right corner, earning a breakdown turnover. Again, Ireland went into the corner.
Beirne claimed the lineout and the Ireland maul seemed to be trundling over again but Jordie Barrett somehow held sub hooker Rónan Kelleher up over the tryline. New Zealand launched the goal-line restart downfield and Doris knocked it on under little pressure.
There was to be one last, huge Irish onslaught as they went to a remarkable 37 phases in the New Zealand 22 but with the clock deep in the red, the Kiwis had the grit to come up with one final breakdown turnover.
Devastation for Ireland.
Ireland scorers:
Tries: Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park, Penalty try
Conversions: Johnny Sexton [2 from 2]
Penalties: Johnny Sexton [1 from 2]
New Zealand scorers:
Tries: Leicester Fainga’anuku, Ardie Savea, Will Jordan
Conversions: Richie Mo’unga [1 from 2], Jordie Barrett [1 from 1]
Penalties: Richie Mo’unga [1 from 1], Jordie Barrett [2 from 3]
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen (Jimmy O’Brien ’56), Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Johnny Sexton (captain), Jamison Gibson-Park (Conor Murray ’61); Andrew Porter (Dave Kilcoyne ’76), Dan Sheehan (Rónan Kelleher ’65), Tadhg Furlong (Finlay Bealham ’53); Tadhg Beirne, Iain Henderson (Joe McCarthy ’59); Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier (Jack Conan ’59), Caelan Doris.
Replacement not used: Jack Crowley
NEW ZEALAND: Beauden Barrett; Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Leicester Fainga’anuku (Anton Lienert-Brown ’64); Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith (yellow card ’37); Ethan de Groot (Tamaiti Williams ’64), Codie Taylor (yellow card ’64 (Dane Coles ‘), Tyrel Lomax (Fletcher Newell ’64); Brodie Retallick (Dalton Papali’i ’65), Scott Barrett; Shannon Frizell (Sam Whitelock ’60), Sam Cane (captain), Ardie Savea
Replacements not used: Finlay Christie, Damian McKenzie
Referee: Wayne Barnes [RFU].