I heard former All Blacks coach, Steve Hansen talking about how the All Blacks can beat Ireland. He mentioned that the All Blacks are the last team to have beaten them. That was back in July 2022, and since then Ireland have been on a winning streak. There have been close games, with Australia and Samoa having had a chance to topple them, so their winning cannot be assumed.
What Hansen was saying is the All Blacks have to avoid going wide too early. They have to keep it in the middle, and get Ireland's big forwards to bunch up defending. Then, when the time is right, go wide and rely on the skill and speed of the Kiwis. They must contest everything, including lineouts. Also of interest was his call to limit Sexton. By cutting down his options with Ireland, their whole game is affected.
Will the New Zealand coach, Ian Foster heed this advice? I don't have him as a thinker. He's a copycat, a classic assistant. He just goes along and hopes what worked in the past will work this time round.
What do you think?
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