Dunedin disaster: Where to now for the All Blacks?

Analysis: History was made last night in Dunedin. The problem for Ian Foster and the All Blacks is that it’s certainly not the kind of history they want, and definitely not what they need.

This side is currently making a habit of breaking new ground in rugby history, namely by losing in ways the All Blacks have never lost before

All Blacks captain Sam Cane speaks to his team.
Photo: Photosport

The 23-12 defeat at Forsyth Barr was the first time they had ever done so against Ireland on New Zealand soil. The way it unfolded, you’d be forgiven for wondering why it’s taken so long – Ireland were in complete control for the whole game, making the same explosive start they did at Eden Park but not making the mistake of slacking off and letting the All Blacks back into it.

For New Zealanders of a certain age, the game was an exceptionally tough watch. It’s not often in our lives that we’ve watched the All Blacks get so thoroughly outplayed, now we’ve had to do it twice in the space of eight months against the same team.

There were serious comparisons to the Irish win in Dublin on last year’s end of year tour, notably costly disciplinary moments, an inability to adapt defensively and simply letting Johnny Sexton do whatever he liked.

This was a passive, rudderless All Black performance.

It’s tempting to say it was in stark contrast to last weekend’s win at Eden Park, but on reflection that last 10 minute spell before halftime that blew the Irish away had a fair degree of luck attached to it. The All Blacks were good enough to cash in on it, but last night showed that you can’t rely on that sort of thing just simply happening every test match. Especially against a well-drilled side like Ireland.

Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

Was Angus Ta’avao unlucky to be sent off for his head clash with Garry Ringrose? Absolutely. Referee Jaco Peyper was apologetic in his summation of facts to Sam Cane, he certainly can’t be blamed for enforcing a pretty clear cut if extremely harsh law regarding head contact. The irony of Ta’avao being the one left worse off than the Irish centre is probably something the lawmakers could take into account, though.

Was Ofa Tuungafasi unlucky to be yellow carded for his early tackle on Ringrose? Absolutely not. If anything, that should have been a penalty try. Then there was Leicester Fainga’nuku’s yellow for a charge down gone wrong on Mack Hansen, which fits somewhere in between the other two examples.

But all of that is a moot point. Cards happen, whether fair or otherwise. The concerning thing was the way that it affected the All Blacks so blatantly, as they went from playing catch up after Ireland’s fast start to watching them cruise away over the horizon. The final margin was 11 points but really it may as well have been 50.

Out of all the poor performances served up by this side in the last couple of years, this was easily the poorest. At least in Dublin and Paris there were glimpses of a comeback, last night it just seemed like regularly scheduled meetings between Cane and Peyper were the only way the All Blacks were going to achieve anything.

Ireland’s Bundee Aki and James Lowe celebrate after the match.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

In the space of a week this series has gone from being a reassuring reminder of how good the All Blacks can be to a curtain-pulling exercise in what happens when things don’t go their way. 1-1 heading to Sky Stadium in Wellington, a venue the All Blacks have only won one of their last five tests.

This will be an uphill battle for the All Blacks. Andy Farrell’s Irish side came down here to try and make history, which they did last night. It’s unlikely any Irish player or fan doubts they can go one better next Saturday night and win the series.