'I’ve made it': Savea's full circle moment against Ireland

SPOTLIGHT: It’s been nine years since Ireland defeated New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago, but for Ardie Savea, its holds a special moment.

The All Blacks and Ireland will square up against each other in Chicago this Saturday at the venue where the Irish defeated New Zealand for the first time in their history.

It took Ireland 111 years to achieve this feat, but since that historic day, Ireland has proved that the victory was no fluke.

The two teams have met on nine occasions since then, with Ireland winning four of those games, which includes a series win in New Zealand in 2022.

The Chicago match holds a significant memory for Savea, who made his Test debut that same season.

“It was the first time we’ve been in Chicago,” he told reporters in Auckland before flying out to Chicago.

“I remember that week, the Chicago Cubs had just won the baseball league, and the city was celebrating. So, as a person, you’re now indulged in the atmosphere and all that.

“As a Kiwi, you come from a little island, and going over there, you’re in the bright lights.

“What I remember as a young fella was just thinking, ‘Holy, I’ve made it.’

“But then, you transfer to the game, and I think I ended up on the wing, we had two backs injuries, and let in a try off a scrum, five metres out. I remember it vividly.

“For us, what happened, we can easily learn from it moving forward; the situations, scenarios, and what can happen. That’s the pressure that Ireland put us under.”

The All Blacks would get their redemption for the home series loss a year later when they eliminated favourites Ireland in the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal.

For Savea, the match was one of his most memorable ones following a lot of scrutiny after their series loss in 2022 to turn things around and advance to the World Cup Final.

“That was probably one of my favourite games I’ve played in,” he said.

“Not just the game itself, but the whole context around it; the 2022 series when we lost at home, and there was just a massive buildup to that quarterfinal.

“A lot of people wrote us off, some of our country wrote us off.

“After what we had been through as a team, that game meant a lot.

“To be able to finish like that in the 85th, 86th minute was massive. On the flip side, that just shows what a quality side Ireland are.”

The All Black Test veteran and leader expects Ireland to come out guns blazing in their Soldier Field rematch.

His experience playing against the Irish over the past nine years has made him wary of the dangers they pose and has labelled Ireland as one of their biggest opponents in the All Blacks’ 2025 season.

“They’re right up there. They’ve been world No. 1 for a while, and they know their game so well, know how they want to play, and when they get it right, they’re a very dangerous side.

“We’ve been on the wrong end of a few of those.

“As an All Black, it’s a great challenge for us to go over there and not only match them, but come out on top.”

With additional reporting by @Rugbypass