Ireland v New Zealand | Friday night lights at the Aviva Stadium as All Blacks come to Dublin

Tonight marks the 38th-ever meeting between these two nations, but its fair to say New Zealand lay claim to the bragging rights over the course of history. The teams first met in 1905 where the All Blacks left Lansdowne Road with a 15-0 win. Aside from a solitary 10-10 draw in January 1973, the Kiwis would win the next 22 outings stretching from November 1974 to November 2013. 

However, recent history has witnessed the pendulum swing in favour of Ireland who have snatched victory in 5 of the last 10 meetings. The first of those being a memorable afternoon in Soldier Field, Chicago, where Ireland triumphed 40-29. Other notable Irish successes over the All Blacks include 16-9 and 29-20 wins (2018 & 2021 Autumn Internationals), while prevailing 23-12 and 32-22 on a glorious 2022 Tour of New Zealand. Most recently, the All Blacks snuffed out Ireland’s 2023 World Cup hopes with a 28-24 quarter-final win.

Ireland versus New Zealand has become a staple of rugby’s ever-evolving rivalries in recent years. Charlie Morgan invites our premium subscribers to delve into a fixture more hotly contested than ever before:

THE ALL BLACKS FORM:

New Zealand commenced their autumn tour with a 64-19 drubbing of Japan followed by a nail-biting 24-22 win over England in Twickenham last weekend. The Kiwis endured somewhat of a mixed bag during the 2024 Rugby Championship. Scott Robertson’s men managed to win three (33-13 vs Australia, 31-28 vs Australia, and 42-10 vs Argentina) and lose three (18-12 vs South Africa, 31-27 vs South Africa, and 38-30 vs Argentina) from six outings to finish second. Their 2023 World Cup odyssey also ended in heartbreak, losing the final 12-11 to the Springboks. 

Andy Farrell’s squad has gathered for their first international test match since Ireland’s thrilling 25-24 win over the Springboks on their July summer tour. Prior to that, South Africa won the first test 27-20. Ireland managed to clinch Six Nations glory with a 17-13 win over Scotland, a narrow 23-22 defeat to England, and three convincing victories over Wales (31-7), Italy (36-0), and France (38-17). New Zealand ended their 2023 World Cup ambitions with a 28-24 triumph in the quarter-finals. The last time Ireland tasted defeat at the Aviva was a 13-15 defeat to France in the 2021 Six Nations.

The All Blacks treated us a lovely moment yesterday as Ardie Savea paid a visit to CYM Rugby Club in Terenure on their 100th-anniversary: 

The Independent.ie experts put their money where their mouth is – all seven have their say on how Ireland vs New Zealand will unfold this evening with score predictions included:

For our premium subscribers, Ruaidhri O’Connor looks at the key areas where Andy Farrell’s Ireland will have to dig deep if they are to overcome the All Blacks this evening:

Scott Robertson had his hand forced on Wednesday afternoon with two injury-enforced alterations to his team that defeated England in Twickenham last weekend. Concussion rules out Codie Taylor, so Asafo Aumua gets the nod at hooker, while Tamaiti Williams and Tyrel Lomax complete the front-row. All Blacks captain Scott Barrett forms a second-row pairing with Tupou Vaa’i, while the mercurial talent of Wallace Sititi is joined by Sam Cane and Ardie Savea in the back-row. 

The second enforced change sees fly-half Damian McKenzie replace Beauden Barrett who must undergo return to play protocols. Cortez Ratima lines out in scrum-half to complete the half-backs. Leinster’s new signing Jordie Barrett starts at inside centre and is bolstered by the experienced Rieko Ioane. Caleb Clarke slots in at left wing, with Mark Tele’a on the right, and Will Jordan at full-back. Head coach Robertson also has a wealth of talent to call upon from the dugout with the likes of Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Samipeni Finau, Cam Roigard, and Anton Lienert-Brown set to feature.

Andy Farrell announced his team to take on the All Blacks at 2pm on Wednesday, and its safe to say Ireland’s head coach has backed a tried and tested selection. The biggest shock is the absence of Tadgh Furlong through injury with Finlay Bealham getting the nod at tighthead. Andrew Porter packs down in the loose with Ronan Kelleher at hooker. The industrious pairing of Joe McCarthy and James Ryan form the second row. Tadgh Beirne drops back to blindside flanker with Josh van der Flier at openside, and Number eight Caelan Doris captains the side. 

It comes as no surprise that Jamison Gibson-Park and Jack Crowley combine in the half-backs, with Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose the inside and outside centres respectively. James Lowe starts on the left wing while Mack Hansen fought off stiff competition for the right wing jersey. Hugo Keenan resumes his normal full-back duties. There is no shortage of experience on the bench with Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, and Ciaran Frawley all set to feature. Jamie Osborne offers cover in midfield and full-back.

Sinead Kissane and Cian Treacy offer their thoughts ahead of this mammoth clash at the Aviva Stadium: 

Another one you simply cannot miss! Luke Fitzgerald and Will Slattery were joined by All Blacks legend Kieran Read as the trio sat down to preview Ireland vs New Zealand on the Left Wing Podcast: 

Some pre-match listening – Former Irish international Andrew Trimble joined Joe and Ruaidhri yesterday to discuss the All Blacks challenge, how dynamics have shifted since Chicago, and selecting players in form versus past performers: 

Good evening and welcome to another Independent.ie live blog as Ireland welcome the challenge of New Zealand for the first of four Autumn Nations Series test matches this November. My name is Ultán Corcoran, and I will be guiding you through all the action as it unfolds in front of us.  

The Aviva Stadium marks the venue for this fixture with a sold-out crowd confirmed months ago when tickets first went on sale. Kick-off is scheduled for 8.10 pm and the game is being televised on Virgin Media One, the Virgin Media player, and TNT Sports 1. All pre-match build-up got underway on both channels at 7pm.