Two defeats at the end of last year’s November tour of Europe, one after the Irish in Dublin, had All Blacks fans nervous and nothing less than a clean sweep of the series will likely provide complete job security for coach Ian Foster.
Foster, along with three of his assistant coaches and three players, spent the week in isolation following an outbreak in the camp, but he knows the nation believes he still has the depth of talent at his disposal to beat the Irish. see.
Ireland have won three of their last five Tests against the All Blacks but have never tasted a victory over their hosts on New Zealand soil.
They showed up to test themselves against the best and a young experimental team got a taste of the power and pace of New Zealand rugby in a 32-17 defeat against the Maori All Blacks on Wednesday in Hamilton.
Coach Andy Farrell would expect a more disciplined performance from his side when more experienced players run out on Saturday, but should have been concerned about the way the Irish boss was during the crash at Waikato Stadium.
Foster indicated his attempt to take the Irish ahead when he pointed to lock Scott Barrett on a blind side flank in favor of more mobile options.
This caused more uproar among All Blacks fans, as the last time Barrett played in the number six shirt was the 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat against England.
“We know he can do it,” Foster told reporters in a video on Thursday. “Is it going to be perfect? There may be some teething problems, but we have a lot of confidence in Scott … and we’re looking forward to seeing it unfold.”
In addition to a formidable suit, the Irish will encounter the skills of Beauden Barrett on the first five-eighths and the latest powerful outside of the production line in the form of the new cap Leicester Fainga’anuku.
Farrell, who turned into an experienced core in a team under flyhalf Johnny Sexton, said the Irish had no illusions about the challenge they faced. Read full story
“They can pick four teams in New Zealand and they will be incredibly difficult to compete,” he told reporters in Auckland.
“Any type of show we’ve had before where we’ve managed to get over the line, which will not do well this weekend, I’m sure about that.”