It is a feeling Ireland have not felt for nearly four years.
For the first time since France left Dublin victorious in the 2021 Six Nations, Ireland’s players greeted full-time at Aviva Stadium with bowed heads and hands on hips as New Zealand celebrated a 23-13 win.
Andy Farrell admitted losing at home was a “funny old feeling”. He can only hope it is an aberration and not a portent for a grim autumn campaign before his secondment with the British and Irish Lions.
That it was New Zealand who ended Ireland’s 19-game unbeaten run at home will only deepen Irish dejection.
In that France game, played in an empty stadium during the Covid pandemic, Ireland were at least spared the ignominy of defeat in front of their own fans.
It was a different story here, however, as the home supporters headed for the exits even before Damian McKenzie booted the ball into the crowd to seal the All Blacks’ first win on Irish soil since 2016.
Ireland and New Zealand games usually live up to – and in some cases surpass – the hype.
This one did not come close – even though the stage had been set perfectly..
While they refused to admit it, Ireland were out for revenge after last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat.
New Zealand, on the other hand, had the pain of 2022’s home series defeat to banish on their first visit to Dublin in three years.
And an already healthy rivalry was fuelled by Johnny Sexton and Rieko Ioane’s spat in the immediate aftermath of last year’s World Cup game, which the former Ireland fly-half felt compelled to include in his autobiography.
To mark the sense of occasion, there was even a fancy pre-game lightshow and a hair-raising Irish roar when the home side advanced to meet a haka led by Ioane.
Then the game happened – and it did not play out with the ferocity and enterprising rugby with which this fixture has become synonymous in recent years.
A lot of that was down to a disjointed, mistake-laden Irish performance, which ended with 13 penalties conceded, 30 missed tackles and 21 handling errors.
They scored 10 of their 13 points while Jordie Barrett was sin-binned for a high hit on Garry Ringrose, and whereas the World Cup game ended with Ireland pushing for a try, here their challenge was swept away in the Dublin rain.
“New Zealand just didn’t let them play,” former Ireland wing Tommy Bowe said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“They looked sloppy with ball in hand, they didn’t go through the kind of phases we’re used to seeing and we didn’t really see any dangermen out there.
“Andy Goodman came in as the attack coach to replace Mike Catt, but he’ll be scratching his head at the minute because it just didn’t seem to have the same fluidity we’re used to seeing from this team in green.”
For the Ireland players, a grim post-match review awaits on Sunday, but Farrell may already be mulling over his selection for Friday’s match against Argentina, who have beaten New Zealand and world champions South Africa this year.
Before this campaign, Fiji’s visit to Dublin on 23 November appeared the most likely arena for Farrell to experiment and delve deeper into his squad, but the Englishman may feel as though wholesale changes are needed for Argentina.
Farrell went for a tried-and-tested team against the All Blacks, with 10 of his line-up having started the World Cup quarter-final.
The craft and game management of Sexton, the only player missing from a familiar backline, was sorely missed. Jack Crowley, who has started in the 10 jersey in every game since Sexton’s retirement, was unable to orchestrate the Irish attack.
Crowley was withdrawn after 58 minutes. Ciaran Frawley, who starred in the South Africa summer series with his Durban drop-goal double, did not fare much better.
Sam Prendergast, the third fly-half in the squad, is viewed by some as Ireland’s long-term solution at 10. He is uncapped but surely can’t be too far away from his debut.
But Farrell’s selection issues extend beyond fly-half. He may feel the need to reintroduce Ryan Baird and Craig Casey, who were unlucky to miss out on the matchday squad, while Calvin Nash – who ably deputised for the injured Mack Hansen in the Six Nations – will be itching for another chance.
“There were a lot of question marks with some of the bench picks,” observed 2009 Grand Slam winner Bowe.
“The likes of Cian Healy, who has 130 caps, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray. Is it time to give an opportunity to the young guys to try and take this team on to the next World Cup?”
This was Ireland’s third defeat in five games, after losses away to England and South Africa.
But it was also their most puzzling and ineffective performance.
That is what will concern Farrell the most. And that is why he may feel the need for a shake-up before Argentina come to town.
