The All Blacks secured their third win from three in the Rugby Nations Championship as they dominated Ireland from the beginning.
All Blacks player ratings
1 Ethan De Groot- 7
Solid scrum platform and was the All Blacks’ top tackler in the first half with eight from eight. Was happy to clash with his opposite man Furlong, in the scrum and the loose.
2 Codie Taylor- 6
Was subbed off early due to a knock and lost one lineout in his 30 minutes. Was stirring the pot early in the game and gave Dan Sheehan a big shove early in the game.
3 Tyrell Lomax- 5.5
Took an early knock in the game and, despite returning to the field, didn’t live up to his usual standard.
4 Josh Lord- 7.5
Some soft hands put his second-row partner, Tuipulotu, through a gap to score the first All Blacks try. Incredible in the lineout, winning seven during the game.
5 Patrick Tuipulotu- 8
Great to see Tuipulotu with the opening try. He ran a great line off his second-row partner and powered over the line. Led the game for dominant tackles with three. Particularly impressive as he only made seven in the game.
6 Tupou Vaa’i- 8
A much-discussed part of Dave Rennie’s team selection. The added lineout versatility helped the All Blacks and Vaa’i was quite often the edge attacker and carried strongly in those positions.
7 Luke Jacobson- 6
The decision to not send off Jacobson seemed baffling with the level of contact directly to the head. He returned to the field and made the crucial turnover just before halftime, which could have brought Ireland with 14 points.
8 Ardie Savea- 8.5
A true captain’s performance. From the moment he ran out onto the pitch you could see that he was up for this one. He managed Nic Berry very well and kept his side on the right side of the whistle. He completed 17 tackles, more than any other All Blacks player.
9 Cam Roigard- 7.5
Another strong performance in Black. He distributed well and kicked well. Cemented his place as one of the best number nines in the world with this run of fixtures. 62% of rucks were less than three seconds.
10 Ruben Love- 8
Ireland tries to target the young number 10 and he dealt with it well. Was very positive from the tee and distribution was key as the All Blacks took advantage of their possession on most occasions.
11 Josh Moorby- 7
A solid first start for the ABs, but not as effective as he was off the bench against Italy. He was solid in the air and made three line breaks. Only went for 36 carry metres, which is quite low for a winger with his pace in such a dominant display.
12 Jordie Barrett- 8.5
Barrett had a fantastic display against many of his former Leinster teammates and was outstanding on both sides of the ball. He made 13 carries and was second behind Ardie Savea for tackles in the match. One of the best examples was the incredible tracking back tackle on Hugo Keenan, who was driving into the All Blacks’ 22.
13 Quinn Tupaea-7.5
Tupaea was a carry machine with the most in the game. alongside Joe McCarthy of Ireland. Tupaea got lucky not to see a yellow card after a deliberate knock-on, appearing to prevent Tadgh Beirne from making a line-break.
14 Will Jordan- 7.5
Took advantage of an Ireland mistake to add another to his try tally. He got on the ball lots but wasn’t able to exploit as much space as he would often tend to. Made 57 metres from his 15 carries.
15 Damian McKenzie- 9.5
A man-of-the match performance as he made more metres than any other player on the pitch and exactly double the number of metres of the next All Black. He beat eight defenders and picked up the fifth All Blacks try.
