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Ireland will face New Zealand for the first time since their heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final defeat and Irish legend Brian O’Driscoll believes the clash will define their autumn
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Victory for Ireland over New Zealand on Friday evening won’t wash away the pain of 14 October 2023. Those 37 phases of agony, yet another World Cup quarter-final exit and four years to ponder just how they came out on the wrong side of one of the most thrilling Tests of all time.
But 13 months on, the smallest measure of vengeance can be exacted at the Aviva Stadium.
Whether Ireland genuinely deserve to be top of the current world rankings ahead of reigning World Cup and Rugby Championship winners South Africa can be debated. However, Andy Farrell’s men are undeniably in a position to make another statement in a year where they have already brushed aside any lingering disappointment over that Paris evening in October 2023 to claim another Six Nations title (albeit not a grand slam) and a hugely creditable series draw against the all-conquering Springboks on South African soil.
Truthfully, this Autumn Nations Series hasn’t really lined up perfectly for them. There’s no Springboks rematch scheduled and the flawed trio of Argentina, Fiji and Australia follow, rather than precede, the New Zealand clash.
“The All Blacks is the big one,” admits Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll, who is a pundit for TNT Sports throughout the Autumn Nations Series.
“It’s not just the memory of being beaten by them in the World Cup last year, you want to be getting the opportunity to play against them as much as you can.
“They’re a great team, even on their off days, and a tough team to beat. You get a really good sense of where your level is at when you play a team like them. It is about results and about developing, any time you play the best teams in the world, you want to beat them.
“The expectation definitely would be to go and win all four games this autumn. You have to be beating Argentina, Fiji and Australia in their current situation, albeit it’s a vastly improved Argentina, but within camp, and I’m sure at home, it will be the same: the expectation is to win all four.”
By their own admission, New Zealand slightly “got away with one” by beating England 24-22 in their Autumn Nations Series opener at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, last weekend. But for the width of a post on a George Ford penalty and poor execution on his last-gasp drop goal, the All Blacks would have been leaving with a defeat.
As O’Driscoll acknowledges, they’re a tough test even on their bad days but Ireland have been boosted by the news that hooker Ronan Kelleher is fit to start despite suffering an ankle injury just a month ago.
First-choice No 2 Dan Sheehan is out injured until the new year, while Kelleher and third-choice Rob Herring were both severe doubts, with a concern that fourth-choice Dave Heffernan would be pressed into action.
And O’Driscoll knows how important the fitness of Kelleher is to Ireland. “If you’re down to your fourth-choice hooker, of course there’s going to be a nervousness because you’re playing against a world-class front row,” he says.
“You want to be fully locked and loaded against the best teams. If there’s a sniff of vulnerability, they will get after it.”
Since the retirement of stalwart Johnny Sexton following that World Cup defeat, Jack Crowley has been the man entrusted with pulling the fly-half strings for Ireland.
He impressed during the Six Nations and on the tour of South Africa, although it was deputy Ciaran Frawley who proved to be the hero off the bench as they won the second Test against the Springboks – slotting two remarkable drop goals under the most immense pressure.
Frawley has finally been given more of a run in the No 10 jersey at Leinster this season, having previously often operated at full-back or in the centres, while Crowley’s form has been patchy for Munster.
And O’Driscoll says Ireland’s fly-half replacement will be breathing down Crowley’s neck, even if the Leinster man has earned a first shot at the jersey this autumn.
“Jack [Crowley] is the man in possession,” states O’Driscoll. “The momentum is with Frawley but I think first up, Crowley will start. He is maybe not playing his best rugby at the moment but he’s done enough to warrant the 10 jersey
“Frawley is pushing really hard behind him, though, and putting the pressure on now. That’s where you want to be and it should bring out the best in Crowley.
“He’s a very accomplished player, done nothing wrong for Ireland and is growing with every game, so hopefully that continues.”
With Farrell pegged to coach the British & Irish Lions next summer, there was a thought that he may follow in the footsteps of predecessor Warren Gatland and hand over the head coaching reins at international level this autumn to one of his assistant coaches in order to focus on the Lions.
However, he will remain in charge throughout the Autumn Nations Series and only step aside ahead of the 2025 Six Nations.
Getting a close-up look at next summer’s opponents for the Lions, Australia, in Ireland’s final autumn international may have impacted his decision and O’Driscoll believes it’s the right call with both the short and long term in mind.
“Coaches want to coach,” he explains. “It’s a long time from a summer tour to the following summer. I totally get why you would want to coach the November games because even six or seven months out of coaching is a long time. You want to keep your hand in it.
“As much as he’ll have a huge focus on the Lions and Australia next summer, the World Cup in 2027 is still very much earmarked as a huge moment in his coaching career and a great opportunity for this Irish team, so he wants to be involved for as long as he possibly can.
“He’ll still be watching every game and any player that could potentially be involved with the Lions, he’ll watch it back this December. While he’s eating his turkey, he can watch all the games over Christmas!”
Every match of the 2024 Autumn Nations Series is exclusively live on TNT Sports and discovery+ Watch ‘The Autumn Nations Rugby Show’, free-to-air on Quest every Thursday at 10pm
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