Wow what a finish! What a game! I think that's one of the best wins I've ever seen, given that NZ had to score from 80 odd metres out with nothing left on the clock. I feel for the Irish, nobody wants to lose, but to lose when you had a 19 point start, and leading by 5 points with time almost up, that must really suck. Whoever it was on the Irish side that kicked the ball away at the end must now be kicking themselves - after doing such a good job of retaining possession and winding down the clock it was arguably the worst decision of the game, given the context. Likewise, Sexton must be feeling pretty down, given he had a relatively easy kick to put the game out of reach (of course that's not taking into consideration the mental pressure, but surely it's easier to kick a penalty to secure the win than it is to kick a conversion to attain that win).
Whilst the Irish won't be congratulating themselves for their spirited effort, they deserve a lot of credit for really taking it to one of the best teams of the era. Their forwards were immense, and they took all the opportunities they were presented with in the first half. A few comments have been made about the refereeing of the breakdown, but I don't think it was particularly bad. There were few obvious mistakes from Owens, with regards to not releasing etc., but not more than in other games, and certainly no game breaking calls (though I was mighty worried when they were reviewing that final NZ score, even though it was a clear try). It's not often Read goes missing in a test match, but that happened today. McCaw was subdued too, and Faumuina, who is normally a brilliant ball carrier, was relatively quiet too. I think that's one of the main reasons Ireland did so well, they stopped NZ from getting over the game line considerably better than NZ did in return. It will be very interesting to see how Ireland go in the Six Nations, the Northern Hemisphere nations are known for being a bit inconsistent, but maybe Schmidt can take Ireland to new heights and maintain high standards at least until the World Cup.
The All Blacks were lucky to escape, but they also played until the last minute, which is something Ireland failed to do. I thought our front row wasa bit disappointing today, I've certainly seen nothing from Crockett this year to think he's a long term option (especially given his age). Faumuina was, as I mentioned, a bit disappointing too. That being said, it was wonderful to see secure scrums for once, I'm sure the solid pitch helped. Coles added some good impact when he came on, I'm not worried about him starting big matches in the future (though I don't necessarily think he'll ever achieve any great heights). Whitelock was pretty solid, especially in the tight work. Retallick was ok, he made a bad decision or two and was a bit less accurate than usual, but for a young guy he's played an exceptional amount of rugby this year.
Luatua had a good game in the loose, he looked hungry, but he still needs to work on the tight stuff a bit more. He should definitely focus on hitting breakdowns next season, because he's a big guy and could do a lot of damage. I think McCaw's career is coming to an end, to be perfectly honest, I don't think he is as influential as he has been in the past, and I don't think a shift away from the open side will save his career either. Yes, he's a brilliant captain, but Read has served a good apprenticeship, and Cane is too promising a player to not be getting game time. If Cane played every game from now until the World Cup, I'd imagine he'd certainly be a better selection come 2015 than McCaw will be.
I don't think Smith had a very good game, but what was refreshing was that he did very few box kicks. The Irish monstered the rucks, and I think in a game like this Kerr-Barlow would be a better option. Smith is great in busy running games, where quick ball is a huge advantage, whereas Kerr-Barlow is more handy if the game is a bit slower, and the opposition forwards have the upper hand. It's a shame Perenara didn't get a run. I think that in the future I'd like to see Smith or Kerr-Barlow starting, with Perenara coming off the bench around the sixty minute mark.
Cruden had an up and down performance. He set up the first try brilliantly and kicked that important conversion (he also set Nonu up for what could've been the game winning break, but silly Ma'a fumbled the ball), but he also missed a couple of important tackles and failed to find touch with a penalty kick (he borrowed that flaw from Barrett), and sometimes he looked to be just shovelling the ball along (again I think this was partially an issue with Smith clearing the ball quickly when there weren't really any options out wide). That being said, he also made some great jinking runs. I think he will be better for every match he plays, and like McCaw I think Carter's time may be up as the number one flyhalf. I think he is still the best in the world, but I think he's too fragile to invest so many games in when we need Cruden to improve as much as possible before the World Cup. I'd probably have Barrett on the bench too, to ensure he gets a lot of game time. He really is a super sub, his hard running knocked a few tired Irish players over, and his performance against the Springboks in NZ this year was great too. He can still look a bit manic at times, but he'll settle down with a bit more game time.
Nonu seems to be a very 50/50 player now. One minute you'll be screaming at him for making a stupid error (see: kick), and the next you'll be cheering him on as he makes a match winning run or pass. I hope SBW returns strongly, because I'm not confident enough that Nonu isn't going to ruin our chances of winning in 2015 due to some brain meltdown. Ben Smith gets better with every game at centre, but I can't over exaggerate how excited I was when he was moved back to fullback (even if it was short lived). For me the first choice back three when Conrad returns would be Savea, Smith and Jane, with Dagg on the bench. Of course, this could all change if Dagg finds some form next season. Jane was very quiet today, play didn't really fall his way much. I thought Crotty was a mixed bag off the bench, he score the match winning try (and intelligently got as close to the posts as he could!) but I thought his defence wasn't as secure as it usually is. Given he's more of a dependable player than an X-factor player, this was a bit disappointing. That being said, I don't think he was any worse than Nonu or Dagg today.
What a way to finish the year for the All Blacks. I'm really looking forward to seeing a mock All Blacks lineup run out in Barbarians hoops soon, because guys like Perenara, Bird and Whitelock need some high(ish) quality opposition to test themselves. Hard luck Ireland, each year you're getting close, if it's any consolation.
