The All Blacks have been chasing the Irish squad all evening in Paris. Photo: Getty Images/Harry Murphy
It was always required A special performance ended Ireland's run of 17 consecutive Test victories and dethroned a team that, under Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton, had seemed more resilient than their predecessors.
En route to a 28–24 victory, New Zealand must have one of the most exciting World Cup knockout games ever. Perhaps above all, it was a demonstration of how strategic conviction and smart coaching can win when the profits are so great. These are the key tactical factors the All Blacks used on the famous night in Paris.
Defensive breakthrough: a cocktail of aggression and precision
We can start at the finish, with the loss of Jackal Sam Whitelock, which stopped a 37-run attack and sealed New Zealand's victory. But this was only the dramatic culmination of an approach which continually compromised Ireland's chief weapon; a complex, incisive attack.
Now the All Blacks had to be accurate if they were going to chase the breakdown. As Charles Richardson noted in his Telegraph Sport piece on Levani Botia this week, Wayne Barnes entered the quarter-finals as the referee least likely to whistle for a penalty against the team in possession. And, of course, Andrew Porter was arrested for illegally competing without supporting his weight in the first seconds.
New Zealand's waste collection has not been perfect. The penalty score ended at 10-10 and Ardie Savea fouled twice in the first half, his second foul resulting in a try for Jamison Gibson-Park. But the All Blacks were unable to mitigate the situation. According to Opta, Savea made an interception to bring home the opening goal from a long-range penalty for Jordie Barrett, with Ireland losing a total of five of their 134 rucks. It also doesn't tell the whole story. Even fullbacks like Richie Mo'unga and Beauden Barrett moved into counter-rucks to create confusion and slow down the green waves. The collective effort paid off.
Standard work and sin collection periods
The angle from which Porter breaks free tends to draw attention and draw Barnes' ire. The return of Tyrell Lomax and Ethan de Groot, players who became regulars for the All Blacks after the series defeat to Ireland last year, has made a big impact. Coupled with this, the squad issues that had plagued Ireland throughout the warm-up schedule and seemed to be smoothed over in the pool stage rout of Scotland came at the worst possible time. Shannon Frizell rose to make a clean interception and although one muscle maul earned a penalty, the other was miraculously stopped by Jordie Barrett and Mo'unga.
Unreal defending from Jordie Barrett #RWC2023 | #IREvNZL pic.twitter.com/AIT5qCaPHe
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New Zealand have adapted impressively to the adversity of two yellow cards. Mo'unga worked in the scrum-half after Aaron Smith was booked for sin. They lost the 10-minute period 7-0, which seemed like an acceptable loss against such a powerful offensive team. Then in the second half, when Cody Taylor scored a goal heading for the whitewash, the All Blacks won the next 10 minutes 3-0. Foster brought in Dane Coles and sacrificed Brodie Retallick, leaving Savea and the excellent Sam Cane in a two-man back row with Whitelock and Scott Barrett the hybrid operator.
Joe Schmidt 'kick-kick'?
It took New Zealand a very long time stage of the game to score your first points. However, their first and third attempts were lightning fast. In his post-match interviews, Johnny Sexton described them with the greatest respect as «blow-bangs» and they were completely different.
Short kicking was flagged in preparation as a technique that could break up play and create disjointed situations in which the All Blacks' dynamism would flourish. Beauden Barrett was back in full force ahead of Leicester Faingaanuku's goal, which followed a delightful one-two from Rieko Ioane. The trial run covered 70 meters from the time Mo'unga received James Lowe's permission and consisted of just two phases; really bad hit.
Lester Fainga'anuku in the corner 🇳🇿#RWC2023 | #IREvNZL pic.twitter.com/XXYOTYtin0
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Mo'unga sent Savea through the middle with another beautiful chip in the 31st minute. Ireland recovered and escaped with Celan's jackal Doris, but was completely cut to pieces by Will Jordan's attempt. Joe Schmidt is renowned for his defense-ripping kicking play and it is perhaps no coincidence that this play was used after the All Blacks sowed the seeds of concern with short kicks in the first half.
Starting from a lineout on their 10-metre line and kicking a penalty awarded by Savea and Kane in unison, New Zealand deployed an unusual four-man formation. As a result, several bodies ended up in the center of the field, and, strangely enough, the crowd helped them find a place. Mo'unga raced flat with Jordan inside him and Savea, Lomax and Kane on his left. Whether Ireland held back or not because they were expecting another chip, the scurrying Mo'unga was able to eat up the space. Defending tail gunner Dan Sheehan was pinned down by Jordan and Josh van der Flier, possibly preparing for Savea, was unable to adjust quickly enough. Mo'unga passed him, accelerating sharply and releasing Jordan for a lightning strike in the first phase. Overall, New Zealand kicked the ball 33 times to Ireland 20. Schmidt could have used this story to make a big bluff.
Tackles and substitutions
Ian Foster started with four of last year's leading players: De Groot, Lomax, Frisell and Jordie Barrett. These people have been the cornerstone of New Zealand's renaissance since July last year. Mark Telea was another person who added to the excitement. But he was fired for disciplinary reasons, and Faingaanuku was promoted. Ironically, the latter is extremely effective at breaking through defenses and looked in red-hot form against Namibia and Uruguay. Telea's absence is hardly a major setback given Ireland's game plan.
Credit must also be given to Foster's use of the bench. Whitelock replaced Frisell ahead of the final quarter, Scott Barrett moved to blindside flanker and Anton Lienert-Brown was replaced by Faingaanuka. Given the unusual position of the wing, a specialized center was a huge advantage for defensive operations. In the 78th minute he worked the length of the field to fill a gap in the defense and strike home Hugo Keenan. The versatility and athleticism of New Zealand's defenders provided mobility in defense.
Players like Anton Lienert-Brown added valuable experience. into All Balck from the bench in the closing stages. Photo: Getty Images/JULIEN DE ROSA
Among the other replacements, Coles offered experience, while two relatively young players, Fletcher Newell and Tamaiti Williams, kept the pressure on at the scrum. Dalton Papalia made six tackles without missing a single one in his four-minute cameo. Like Damian McKenzie, reserve scrum-half Finlay Christie has not seen any game time. Even that vindicated Foster, who based the inclusion of Christie instead of Cam Roygaard on the assumption that defensive reliability would be vital. New Zealand were clearly looking to build, lead and hold on.
Psychological edge
Against Scotland in a must-win group match, Ireland scored a try in the first minute through Lowe and quickly looked comfortable. This weekend's quarter-final row will likely always weigh heavily on Farrell's men if New Zealand can maintain their lead. Forget about winning at this stage: Ireland haven't even led a World Cup quarter-final since 1995. Despite a rocky start, the All Blacks took the lead. Ireland fought back and might have taken the lead had it not been for a delayed hammer, but Doris's hit on the back line and Sexton's miss from the tee were alarming errors.
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