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Ireland back-up groundbreaking win with first-ever victory over Maori All Blacks
By Alex McLeod
Just three days after making history by beating the All Blacks on Kiwi soil for the first time in their history, Ireland have knocked off another significant milestone.
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134 years after the first meeting between the two teams, Ireland have finally beaten the Maori All Blacks, toppling Clayton McMillan’s men at the fourth time of asking in a 30-24 victory in Wellington.
The architects of their own demise, the Maori All Blacks struggled to complement their attractive style of play when in possession of the ball with a hard-nosed attitude up front as Ireland’s second-string outfit showed vast improvements from their loss in Hamilton a fortnight ago.
Showing early intent to play with the “Maori flair” that head coach McMillan often references, the hosts cashed in after only three minutes when Shaun Stevenson crossed the white line on the back of a beautiful set piece move.
Josh Ioane’s trickery to stab a grubber kick along the turf from the kick-off, which ultimately laid the platform for Stevenson’s try was also reflective of the enterprising style the Maori All Blacks endeavoured to play.
That enthusiasm for an exciting brand of rugby, however, wasn’t replicated defensively, as seen when Ireland wing Jordan Larmour caught the Maori All Blacks napping to score from a quick Keith Earls lineout.
Sky Stadium’s slippery surface, courtesy of a rain-soaked and wind-whipped day in Wellington, stifled the attacking nature with which both teams desired to play as they struggled to add to their respective tallies.
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That didn’t stop the Maori All Blacks from trying, though, as Stevenson’s evasive attacking threat and the abrasive ball-carrying of co-captain TJ Perenara and Caleb Delany continually led to incisions through Ireland’s defensive line.
Still, the wet ball made it difficult for both teams to cap off any attacking opportunities the Maori were afforded, and uncapped first-five Ciaran Frawley capitalised, slotting a penalty goal near the half-hour mark to edge the visitors further into the lead.
The buffer between Ireland and the Maori All Blacks increased significantly when Nick Timoney dotted down from a rolling maul, which came just after opposition prop Ollie Norris had been sent to the sin bin.
Norris’ temporary departure cancelled out the yellow card picked up by Ireland flanker Cian Prendergast five minutes earlier.
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Trailing by 17-5 at the break, the Maori All Blacks needed to strike first, if not early, in the second half.
While Frawley prevented them from being the first team out of the blocks with another penalty goal, an early tackle by Larmour on Connor Garden-Bachop in a dangerous attacking position resulted in a penalty try and a yellow card.
Closing the deficit by seven points while enjoying a numerical advantage of one extra man, the Maori All Blacks succeeded in their aspirations of clawing their way back into the contest from the outset of the second half.
Co-captain Brad Weber’s introduction from the bench also added impetus to the game and relieved the Maori All Blacks of Perenara’s sluggish passing, while some stoic breakdown defence halted a promising Ireland attack and almost ended with a try at the other end of the park.
However, a couple of wayward kicks amid the swirling blusters stunted the momentum the Maori All Blacks had built, and any ascendency gained by their front row at the scrum was soon let down by the pack’s faltering lineout.
Ireland eventually took advantage of their opposition’s mishaps, charging over the chalk through Gavin Coombes, whose try was a direct result of poor discipline and set piece struggles on the part of the Maori All Blacks.
An injection of counter-attacking brilliance from reserve playmaker Ruben Love saw him combine with Cullen Grace to produce the undoubted try of the night, but that – and Weber’s injury time score – merely proved to be consolation.
A late yellow card to Stevenson for a failed intercept encapsulated the substandard performance of the Maori All Blacks, who insult added to injury when Larmour strolled in for his second try after receiving a stunning cut-out ball from Frawley.
The lack of execution in the basic fundamentals of the game and inferior physicality cost the Maori All Blacks dearly as they close out their brief campaign with their unbeaten run over Ireland now tarnished.
By contrast, Ireland boss Andy Farrell may now consider his options as he looks to tick off the third major achievement of this tour by clinching a maiden series win against the All Blacks at the same venue this Saturday.
Ireland 30 (Tries to Jordan Larmour (2), Nick Timoney and Gavin Coombes; 2 conversions and 2 penalties to Ciaran Frawley)
Maori All Blacks 24 (Tries to Shuan Stevenson, Ruben Love, Brad Weber and penalty try; conversion to Josh Ioane)
