NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / Rugby World Cup

2019 Rugby World Cup: Liam Napier - Crushing and cruel - How All Blacks exposed abysmal Ireland

Liam Napier
By Liam Napier
Senior Sports Journalist·NZ Herald·
19 Oct, 2019 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Codie Taylor scores in the second half of the quarter-final against Ireland. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Codie Taylor scores in the second half of the quarter-final against Ireland. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

COMMENT by Liam Napier in Tokyo:

Confine history to the bin. Marvel at the present. Breathe easy.

For the non-believers, the evolution of the All Blacks must now be clear.

With one dagger blow to their nemesis of recent years, the All Blacks proved how far they have come, and how difficult they will be to stop claiming three successive Rugby World Cup titles.

Steve Hansen's faith in the fearless backline youth groomed by the Crusaders sure paid off on this occasion, though credit for the clinical nature of this remarkable performance stretches much wider than the highlight reel will show.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

READ MORE:
• Liam Napier: The five things All Blacks need to improve on to win 2019 Rugby World Cup
• Liam Napier: The best player not at this Rugby World Cup is...
• Liam Napier: What top three World Cup teams have in common
• Liam Napier: Japan's triumph over Scotland a game for the ages

The difference between the All Blacks and Ireland at Tokyo Stadium could not be starker.

With relentless intent and accuracy, the All Blacks' definition of methodical was magical.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

With set plays, wrap-around loops, wingers popping up on the other side of the field, cross-field kicks and offloads, the All Blacks produced so many variations Ireland had no clue what was coming next from where.

Try as they might, Ireland were abysmal. So much so that next week's semifinal against England will be a significant step up. Eddie Jones will know so, too, are the All Blacks from the woeful Wallabies.

Discover more

Rugby World Cup

Rugby fan's massive All Blacks bet

18 Oct 10:00 PM
Sport|rugby

'Ruined the most Kiwi thing': Fans lose it over Spark's ABs streaming

19 Oct 09:34 AM
Rugby World Cup

'Pitiful': World media slams Wallabies after exit

19 Oct 10:00 AM
Rugby World Cup

It's All Blacks v England - Eddie Jones gets his wish

19 Oct 12:15 PM

Ireland dropped ball, kicked terribly to miss touch from penalties three times. They fell off tackles and made so many simple errors. Never has their limited gameplan been so brutally exposed. Never did they look capable of winning their first quarter-final, in their seventh attempt.

When Conor Murray dropped a pass six minutes before halftime, the All Blacks leading 22-0 by this point, Joe Schmidt held his head in his hands. His fate was clear that early.

The end of Schmidt's tenure, one which broke new ground and lifted Ireland to the top of the world last year, could not be more crushing or cruel. Ditto for Ireland captain Rory Best. That's the reality elite sport brings.

Perhaps only now we can truly comprehend how different, how improved, this All Blacks team is from the one that lost to Ireland in Dublin 11 months ago. Nine positional changes go some way to explaining the reshaping of their attacking game but it's more than that. They have their swag back.

Where they couldn't score a try in Dublin, here their attacking verve left Ireland shell-shocked.

Andy Farrell's defensive blueprint rattled the All Blacks with the British and Irish Lions and with Ireland twice previously. Tonight his green wall came crumbling down as the All Blacks skipped to the edge with consummate ease. Seven tries to two is embarrassing.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When the All Blacks are at their peak like this they do the basic skills better and faster than anyone. Their catch, pass, cleanout, ball protection, carry, tackle tonight were all supreme.

Kieran Read doesn't often get the credit he deserves but the All Blacks captain was a colossus. He and Sam Cane laid on several crunching hits that forced early errors. Somehow, Read then found energy to carry into contact all evening long.

All Blacks captain Kieran Read gets a pass away with three Irish defenders around. Photo / Mark Mitchell
All Blacks captain Kieran Read gets a pass away with three Irish defenders around. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Every time Read touched the ball his influence was clear. Look no further than his carry and offload off the deck for Codie Taylor's second-half try.

Jack Goodhue and Anton Lienert-Brown silenced any doubts about their youthful midfield pairing. Goodhue's slick hands under immense pressure for the flying Sevu Reece set George Bridge away and set up Aaron Smith's second strike. This was just one heady decision we have come to take for granted.

Brodie Retallick got the better of revered Ireland counterpart James Ryan, helping to lay a platform that allowed Smith to enjoy a dream ride as he picked his options brilliantly and unleashed the backline time after time.

Spare a thought for Schmidt, the former Palmerston North school teacher. He achieved many great feats for Ireland, including three Six Nations titles, but they are likely to be lost in the furore of another World Cup failure.

Those preparing to twist the knife must surely appreciate he is unlikely to be the last opposition coach to suffer at this tournament.

Eighteen World Cup games the All Blacks have now won in a row.

England could be the next victims on that list.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rugby World Cup

New Zealand

Watch Live : Scott Robertson live with Jason Pine

New Zealand

'Never felt so alone': Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

17 Jun 05:00 PM
Premium
Black Ferns

Woodman-Wickliffe on babies, books, broadcasting and King’s Birthday honour

02 Jun 03:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rugby World Cup

Watch Live : Scott Robertson live with Jason Pine

Watch Live : Scott Robertson live with Jason Pine

Scott Robertson joins Jason Pine in the Newstalk ZB studio to talk all the big Rugby issues.

'Never felt so alone':  Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

'Never felt so alone': Foster lifts lid on battles with NZ Rugby bosses

17 Jun 05:00 PM
Premium
Woodman-Wickliffe on babies, books, broadcasting and King’s Birthday honour

Woodman-Wickliffe on babies, books, broadcasting and King’s Birthday honour

02 Jun 03:00 AM
‘Major failures’: French oversight costs Rugby World Cup $57m

‘Major failures’: French oversight costs Rugby World Cup $57m

08 Apr 06:15 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP