All Blacks Strike At Crucial Stage As Ireland Falter

In wet and windy conditions at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium, Ireland’s bid for a first ever win over New Zealand faltered in the final quarter as a converted try from Ma’a Nonu proved the crucial score for the All Blacks.

SUMMER TOUR TEST MATCH: Saturday, June 7

NEW ZEALAND 21 IRELAND 11, Westpac Stadium, Wellington (Att: 32,127)

Scorers: New Zealand: Tries: Sitiveni Sivivatu, Ma’a Nonu; Con: Dan Carter; Pens: Dan Carter 3

Ireland: Try: Paddy Wallace; Pens: Ronan O’Gara 2

O2 MatchDay Live – As It Happened

Ireland led on three occasions – 3-0, 8-5 and 11-8 – but the All Blacks’ dynamism gradually saw them come out on top with Ma’a Nonu’s 64th-minute try proving to be match-winning score.

Dan Carter, who grew in influence after a patchy first half, sliced through the Irish midfield in the lead-up to Nonu’s try and the Crusaders out-half also claimed 11 points with his left boot.

In the battle of the number 10s, it was Ronan O’Gara who exerted greater control in the first half with the wind and rain at his back.

With the All Blacks defence stretched in the 20th-minute, O’Gara supplied the try-scoring pass for Paddy Wallace, who nipped past Ali Williams and Sitiveni Sivivatu to touch down to the right of the posts.

It was a great way for Wallace to crown his first start in the centre for Ireland and a fine response from the Irish midfield after they had been badly exposed for Sivivatu’s 16th-minute try.

Conrad Smith managed to break past Brian O’Driscoll before unleashing Sivivatu for a run through on the left wing.

Carter’s missed conversion left the hosts with a 5-3 lead but Ireland ended the first quarter with a three-point buffer thanks to Wallace’s second Test try.

But with Ireland’s lineout struggling, Carter tied up the game at 8-8 just before half-time.

Three minutes into the second half, Michael Bradley’s tourists reopened that three-point gap thanks to a pinpoint penalty from O’Gara.

However, the All Black pack’s physicality came to the fore over the closing half-hour. They carried forward with intent and the powerful Neemia Tialata and bloodied duo Richie McCaw and Rodney So’oialo began to make good yardage as the half wore on.

Carter levelled again in the 46th-minute and after Ireland had a penalty reversed for a punch by Marcus Horan, the All Blacks edged ahead at 14-11.

Although Ireland kept plugging away and finished the game camped near the New Zealand try line, with replacement Peter Stringer adding some zip to the attacks, the game has gone out of their grasp 16 minutes from the final whistle.

Carter did the initial damage, breaking past his opposite number. A couple of phases later, big prop John Schwalger was bounding forward as Ireland tried to regroup.

Schwalger’s inside pass was gobbled up by Nonu on an angled run and although the powerfully-built centre was grounded five metres out, his momentum took him over the whitewash. Game over.

TIME LINE: 9 minutes – Ireland penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 0-3; 16 mins – New Zealand try: Sitiveni Sivivatu – 5-3; conversion: missed by Dan Carter – 5-3; 20 mins – Ireland try: Paddy Wallace – 5-8; conversion: Ronan O’Gara – 5-8; 26 mins – New Zealand penalty: missed by Dan Carter – 5-8; 34 mins – New Zealand penalty: Dan Carter – 8-8; Half-time – New Zealand 8 Ireland 8; 43 mins – Ireland penalty: Ronan O’Gara – 8-11; 46 mins – New Zealand penalty: Dan Carter – 11-11; 61 mins – New Zealand penalty: Dan Carter – 14-11; 64 mins – New Zealand try: Ma’a Nonu – 19-11; conversion: Dan Carter – 21-11; Full-time – New Zealand 21 Ireland 11

NEW ZEALAND: Mils Muliaina; Anthony Tuitavake, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Sitiveni Sivivatu; Dan Carter, Andy Ellis; Neemia Tialata, Andrew Hore, John Afoa, Brad Thorn, Ali Williams, Rodney So’oialo, Richie McCaw (capt), Jerome Kaino.

Replacements used: John Schwalger for Afoa (35 mins), Adam Thomson for So’oialo (43-48, blood sub), Leon MacDonald for Tuitavake (50), Keven Mealamu for Hore (55), Adam Thomson for Kaino (76). Not used: Anthony Boric, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald.

IRELAND: Rob Kearney; Shane Horgan, Brian O’Driscoll (capt), Paddy Wallace, Tommy Bowe; Ronan O’Gara, Eoin Reddan; Marcus Horan, Jerry Flannery, John Hayes, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, Denis Leamy, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements used: Rory Best for Flannery (53 mins), Tony Buckley for Horan (62), Peter Stringer for Reddan (71), Shane Jennings for Heaslip (72). Not used: Mick O’Driscoll, Geordan Murphy, Girvan Dempsey.

Referee: Chris White (England)