Irish face All Blacks in rematch of Rugby World Cup thriller

DUBLIN – Ireland meet New Zealand on Nov 8 at Lansdowne Road in a rematch of their epic 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final which dashed Irish dreams of lifting the trophy.

The world No. 1 side have bounced back from the devastating 28-24 defeat by retaining their Six Nations title and tying a two-Test series in South Africa.

The All Blacks, meanwhile, finished second in the Rugby Championship, but come into the game on the back of a victory over England last weekend.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold but while it might ring true for the Irish supporters and some of the players, it is anything but for coach Andy Farrell.

“It’s different,” said the 49-year-old, whose match-day squad will have 17 players from that quarter-final but the All Blacks have just 10.

“Different coaching staff, a few different players, a long time ago, a new start for them.

“That’s so much in the distant past for us now.”

Ireland also have a new skipper.

Caelan Doris has been outstanding since Farrell picked him early on in his tenure as coach and at 26, his reward is the captaincy.

The No. 8 – considerably younger than the previous three captains Rory Best, Johnny Sexton and Peter O’Mahony – has already skippered his country once.

However, with all due respect to Italy, leading your team against the All Blacks is a completely different challenge.

Farrell said Doris’ lack of ego was a factor in promoting him and he has no doubts the player can handle the pressure.

“He is unbelievably diligent in getting his own stuff right,” said the coach.

“He’s come on leaps and bounds in the last four years in regards to that, he’s worked it out. He’s very comfortable in his own skin.

“On top of that, he’s not in bad form, is he?”

Approaching the clash, both teams look to their fly-halves to pull the strings, but both No. 10s go into the match with question marks hanging over them.

Farrell has retained faith in Jack Crowley, who has been the first choice since Sexton hung up his boots after the quarter-final loss to the All Blacks.

However, his form, like that of his club team Munster, has been patchy this term.

“There’s a bit of credit there, isn’t there, with Jack,” said Farrell.

“Like a few players, not just at Munster but at other provinces where I’m sure form is something they’d like to be pushing a bit further.”

The All Blacks have reverted to Damian McKenzie, who was dropped to the bench against the English.

He returns as Beauden Barrett is undergoing a mandatory 12-day stand-down period after failing a head injury assessment following the 24-22 win over England at Twickenham.

McKenzie is a more flamboyant playmaker compared to the seasoned Barrett but that comes with risks attached.

“Ah, D-Mac is D-Mac, isn’t he?” said coach Scott Robertson.

“You get a bit of everything from him, but when he’s on form, he’s world-class.” AFP