Ireland have beaten the All Blacks

Ireland produced a stunning display to beat New Zealand at home for the first time, prevailing 16-9 in a thrilling tussle between the world’s top two teams.

Two years after their maiden triumph over the All Blacks in Chicago, Joe Schmidt’s side treated the Aviva Stadium crowd to a slice of glorious history on Saturday.

Jacob Stockdale’s second-half try was pivotal after a fine opening 40 minutes had yielded only a three-point lead, courtesy of Johnny Sexton’s kicking efforts.

New Zealand, who had not suffered defeat in Europe since 2012, dug deep in an attempt to engineer a way back into the contest but found Ireland in no mood to surrender their hard-earned lead.

It marks yet another high point for New Zealand-born Schmidt’s Six Nations Grand Slam winners, who will hope to maintain this form all the way to the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Full Time score – IRELAND 16-9 New Zealand. Incredible performance! #TeamOfUs #ShoulderToShoulder #IREvNZL pic.twitter.com/sEh8faWBGp

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) November 17, 2018

Amid a tremendous atmosphere it was the world champions – narrow winners over England last weekend – who made the early running, forcing Ireland to defend doggedly from their five-metre line before a home penalty alleviated the pressure.

A determined Keith Earls run had the majority of the crowd on their feet as Ireland began to make headway and they eventually settled for three points from Sexton’s boot when the All Blacks were penalised for offside.

Devin Toner’s huge hit on Brodie Retallick summed up Ireland’s commitment in defence and cranked up the decibel levels even further.

It took Steve Hansen’s men 16 minutes to get off the mark, the prolific Beauden Barrett splitting the posts with typical assuredness.

Ireland’s growing sense of ambition was evident as Sexton kicked for touch when well placed to double his tally and the bold move almost paid off when CJ Stander was held up over the line.

There was another false dawn in the hosts’ next attack as Rob Kearney spilled the ball with the try line at his mercy, but Ireland did have the consolation of Sexton’s penalty restoring their lead.

A Barrett drop-goal quickly levelled matters but Ireland had the 9-6 advantage at the interval courtesy of Sexton’s kick on the stroke of half-time.

Stockdale breathed a huge sigh of relief when his attempted chip over Kieran Read was blocked, but the usually reliable number eight knocked on when safe handling would surely have led to a try.

When the time came, Stockdale proved the hero at the other end, making no mistake with a kick over the top which he chased down and dotted over the line.

https://twitter.com/OmnisportNews/status/1063888248966168577

Ireland initially looked to build on their lead, but soon found themselves forced onto the back foot as the All Blacks looked to click into gear.

Peter O’Mahony made a heroic try-saving intervention before Barrett’s penalty set up a tense finish, but Ireland’s backs-to-the-wall effort got the job done to spark wild celebrations in Dublin.

Captain Read said New Zealand could have no complaints with the outcome after they suffered a first loss in Europe for six years.

“Everyone just threw everything at it, I think all 23 players of both teams, and the Irish were just too good for us tonight so full credit to them,” he told RTE.

“We’ve just got to take those lessons. They took their opportunities, so you’ve got to give them credit for doing that.

“They defended really well, we actually couldn’t really break them down tonight so we’ll learn from that.

“We still had belief in ourselves to try and get across the line but it wasn’t to be, so give them the credit.”

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Try: Stockdale
Con: Sexton
Pens: 3

For New Zealand:
Pens: B Barrett 3

More to follow…

THE TEAMS

Ireland: Rob Kearney, Keith Earls, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale, Johnny Sexton, Kieran Marmion; Cian Healy, Rory Best, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner, James Ryan, Peter O’Mahony, Dan Leavy, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Jack McGrath, Andrew Porter, Iain Henderson, Josh van der Flier, Luke McGrath, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour.

New Zealand: Damian McKenzie, Ben Smith, Jack Goodhue, Ryan Crotty, Rieko Ioane, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith; Karl Tu’inukuafe, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Liam Squire, Ardie Savea, Kieran Read.
Replacements: Dane Coles, Ofa Tuungafasi, Nepo Laulala, Scott Barrett, Matt Todd, TJ Perenara, Richie Mo’unga, Anton Lienert-Brown.