The most telling feature of this match was right after the final whistle when the All Blacks punched the air with delight for to a man they knew they had been in a game.
And who knows what would have happened if Marcus Horan had kept his cool when Ireland were about to have good midfield possession and instead he handed an easy 3 points to his opponents at a crucial point in the contest.
You have to wonder if this same crop of players would have performed this well with Eddie O’Sullivan at the helm. I suppose you also have to realise that it’s actually true – the man is no longer at the helm!
Still, there were many positives to come from the display. I was surprised we fielded such a full strength squad, or at least I was until I saw the lineup doing the haka, with Carter, McCaw and Nonu all in attendance.
A similar showing could tip the balance against the Aussies next week, and as one RTE pundit pointed out, with World Cup seedings to be decided in December and Ireland precariously perched in 8th as things stand, we might need to get a surprise victory from somewhere before then and this could be our only chance.
And who knows what would have happened if Marcus Horan had kept his cool when Ireland were about to have good midfield possession and instead he handed an easy 3 points to his opponents at a crucial point in the contest.
You have to wonder if this same crop of players would have performed this well with Eddie O’Sullivan at the helm. I suppose you also have to realise that it’s actually true – the man is no longer at the helm!
Still, there were many positives to come from the display. I was surprised we fielded such a full strength squad, or at least I was until I saw the lineup doing the haka, with Carter, McCaw and Nonu all in attendance.
A similar showing could tip the balance against the Aussies next week, and as one RTE pundit pointed out, with World Cup seedings to be decided in December and Ireland precariously perched in 8th as things stand, we might need to get a surprise victory from somewhere before then and this could be our only chance.
