'We need to get our own house in order': Reality check for Ireland

REACTION: Andy Farrell said there were “no excuses” and the best team won after New Zealand beat Six Nations champions Ireland 23-13 to end their 19-match winning streak at Lansdowne Road on Friday.

The Irish looked rusty in a match that never threatened to reach the heights of their epic World Cup quarterfinal last year which the All Blacks edged 28-24.

The All Blacks had Ireland’s measure on a night when the drizzle dampened fans’ spirits even before the match.

Damian McKenzie’s 18 points and Will Jordan’s try sent the Irish supporters away even glummer – they had not experienced the home-losing feeling since France beat them in the Six Nations in 2021.

Compounding a miserable night for Ireland, it was their worst home defeat since England beat them 32-20 in 2019.

Farrell, who leaves temporarily after the November Tests to assume his duties as British & Irish Lions head coach for next year’s tour of Australia, refused to blame referee Nic Berry for the costly penalties Ireland conceded.

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“We need to get our own house in order first, there’s no excuses for us,” said Farrell.

“Rustiness or game time, it is what it is. Long story short they deserved to win.”

The Irish may have cursed their luck that their first Test after a few months hiatus following the 1-1 drawn July series with South Africa was the All Blacks.

New Zealand came into the game on the back of a 22-20 win over England last Saturday but a moderate Rugby Championship.

However, while New Zealand fielded a much-changed squad from the one that won the World Cup epic, Ireland retained 17 of the matchday 23 involved that night for Friday’s encounter.

Ireland had been shattered by the World Cup defeat and this loss also left them in despair.

“I am disappointed,” said Farrell.

“It’s easily summed up with the mood in the dressing room. It is sombre and that is a rarity for us.

“The lads are gutted. We’re all gutted.

“We didn’t manage to put our game out on the field,” said the 49-year-old Englishman.

“It’s not right to try and be desperate, chase your tail and compound an error with another error, points come on the back of that.

“We did that a number of times. We need to fix up our mentality as far as that’s concerned.

“We became a little bit too desperate, the energy wasn’t what was needed.”

‘Below the line’

New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson was delighted to beat the side ranked number one on the world.

“I am really pleased, in fact stoked to get a result like that,” he said, praising his players.

“They showed courage and cared for each other out there.”

The exciting but inconsistent McKenzie was named man of the match. The playmaker only started because the more predictable and solid Beauden Barrett failed a Head Injury Assessment during the England game.

“D-Mac was as mercurial as normal,” said Robertson with a grin.

“He trusted his instinct, it was a hell of a night.”

There was much made coming into the match of the bad blood between the two sides because of an exchange of words between Rieko Ioane and the now-retired Irish captain Johnny Sexton at the end of the World Cup quarter-final.

Whether it was meant to put the Irish backs up, Ioane led the haka for the first time but when play started there was just one incident that threatened to get out of hand.

All Blacks captain Scott Barrett fronted up to Irish lock Joe McCarthy early in the first-half.

“I do not usually take exception but I saw something below the line for me and I guess I made a point,” said Barrett.

“I was getting up from a ruck and it looked like Joe was putting his shoulder into Damian [McKenzie] head, who was on the ground.

“They play hard and they are a great and physical team.

“It was just one moment.”