Andy Farrell said there were “no excuses” and the best team won after New Zealand beat Ireland to end their 19-match winning streak at Lansdowne Road on Friday.
The Irish looked rusty in a match that never threatened to reach the heights of their epic Rugby World Cup quarter-final last year which the All Blacks edged 28-24.
The All Blacks had Ireland’s measure on a night when the drizzle dampened fans’ spirits even before the 23-13 victory for the Kiwis.
Damian McKenzie’s 18 points and Will Jordan’s try sent the Irish supporters away even glummer — they had not experienced the home losing feeling since France beat them in the Six Nations in 2021.
Compounding a miserable night for Ireland, it was their worst home defeat since England beat them 32-20 in 2019.
Farrell, who leaves temporarily after the November Tests to assume his duties as British & Irish Lions head coach for next year’s tour of Australia, refused to blame referee Nic Berry for the costly penalties Ireland conceded.
“We need to get our own house in order first, there’s no excuses for us,” said Farrell. “Rustiness or game time, it is what it is. Long story short they deserved to win.”
RECAP: All Blacks punish sloppy Ireland
The Irish may have cursed their luck that their first Test after a few months hiatus following the 1-1 drawn summer series with South Africa was the All Blacks.
New Zealand came into the game on the back of a 22-20 win over England last Saturday but a moderate Rugby Championship.
However, while New Zealand fielded a much-changed squad from the one that won the World Cup epic, Ireland retained 17 of the matchday 23 involved that night for Friday’s encounter.
Ireland had been shattered by the World Cup defeat and this loss also left them in despair.
“I am disappointed,” said Farrell. “It’s easily summed up with the mood in the dressing room. It is sombre and that is a rarity for us. The lads are gutted. We’re all gutted.”
“We didn’t manage to put our game out on the field,” said the 49-year-old Englishman. “It’s not right to try and be desperate, chase your tail and compound an error with another error, points come on the back of that.
“We did that a number of times. We need to fix up our mentality as far as that’s concerned. We became a little bit too desperate, the energy wasn’t what was needed.”
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images
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