New Zealand at Eden Park must be the most daunting task for any side. Unbeaten in 52 matches, I do think Ireland will cover but the hosts should win.
Key Stats - Eden Park Fortress
- New Zealand have won 7 of their last 8 matches.
- New Zealand are 52 matches unbeaten at Eden Park.
- New Zealand have won their last 3 matches against Ireland.
- Ireland have won their last 2 matches away to New Zealand.
New Zealand have Won Last Three
Ireland beat New Zealand 2-1 in a series but since then, the All Blacks have won the last three encounters.
New Zealand Inconsistent Performances but Result are Positive
New Zealand have secured two wins in the opening two rounds of the Nations Championship, much as was expected. They made tough work of France in round one though, sneaking through 34-32 in the end.
Last weekend, the same struggles game to the fore against Italy in the first half. The All Blacks couldn’t get a proper foothold in the game and only managed to lead 14-10 at the break.
As Italy tired in the second 40, New Zealand put it together and ran out 47-17 winners on the day. Despite being quite inconsistent in performance, the All Blacks have still won seven of their last eight matches.
Ireland Conitnue Improvement
Ireland have been in transition since the conclusion of the 2023 Rugby World Cup after many standout performers retired. While their level has dropped, they have still maintained decent results over the last three years.
In 2026, the Irish are slowly returning to being a top nation but with many younger players, performances can be inconsistent. However, they still managed to beat Australia 33-31 in round one of the Nations Championship despite trailing by 12 at the break.
Last weekend, against Japan, Ireland won 36-20 in what was a competitive match with Ireland only really pulling away in the final 20 minutes. However, they also never really got out of second gear in the game.
New Zealand vs Ireland Teams
New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (captain), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Anton Segner, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Caleb Clarke
Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadgh Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Tom O’Toole.
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Nick Timoney, 20 Sean Jansen, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Bundee Aki.