All Blacks Secure Victory Over Ireland in Chicago Rematch
CHICAGO – The All Blacks overcame a spirited performance from Ireland to win thier rematch in Chicago,26-13,continuing their Grand Slam tour. A late surge, including tries from Ardie Savea, Tamaiti Williams, and Wallack sititi, sealed the victory for New Zealand after a closely contested first half.
The match saw early drama with a lengthy TMO review for a potential red card against Ireland, taking several minutes to reach a decision. Ireland then suffered a blow in the 15th minute when five-eighth Jordie Barrett was forced off with a leg injury, prompting a reshuffle in the New Zealand lineup.
Despite being a man down, Ireland demonstrated greater cohesion, largely thanks to the outstanding performance of halfback Jamison Gibson-park, whose kicking and passing game consistently put pressure on the All Blacks’ defense. Second five-eighths Stuart McCloskey also made strong runs, repeatedly crossing the advantage line. Flanker Josh van der Flier proved a constant threat at the breakdown, keeping All Blacks captain Ardie Savea busy.
Ireland opened the scoring with a sixth-minute penalty goal from Jack Crowley, extending their lead in the 15th minute with a try from prop Tadhg Furlong, converted by Crowley. The All Blacks responded swiftly, with Savea scoring a try in the corner after a skillful passage of play involving Leicester Fainga’anuku, Will jordan, Ethan de Groot, Josh Lord, and Simon Parker.
The first half saw both sides struggle with lineouts and scrums, but ireland held a 10-7 lead at halftime. The All Blacks found their rhythm in the second half, adding further tries through Williams and Sititi, with Beauden Barrett converting all three New Zealand tries.
scoreboard:
All Blacks: 26 (Ardie Savea, Tamaiti Williams, Wallack Sititi tries; Beauden Barrett 3 con)
Ireland: 13 (Tadhg Furlong try; Jack Crowley con, 2 pen)
Teams:
Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 jack conan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan sheehan (captain), 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Paddy McCarthy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 caelan Doris, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Sam Prendergast, 23 Bundee Aki.
New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Simon Parker, 5 fabian Holland, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 23 Damian McKenzie.
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (England), Luc Ramos (France)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
