37 - 35

Ex-international says Ireland 'licking their lips' ahead of facing All Blacks

264 days ago

Peter O'Mahony of Ireland watches as the New Zealand All Blacks perform the Haka prior to the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between Ireland and New Zealand at Stade de France on October 14, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Former England scrumhalf Matt Dawson says that Ireland could be “licking their lips” at the prospect of facing the injury hit All Blacks this Friday night at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

After a physically demanding Test match at Allianz Stadium Twickenham against England, the All Blacks have lost experienced pair Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor with 226 caps between them.

Taylor’s absence in particular really hurt the All Blacks set-piece with the lineout functioning below par against England. Against a clinical Ireland side, a repeat of that showing could really be fatal.

That Manie Libbok no-look kick vs Scotland | RPTV

Video Player is loading.

Current Time 0:00

Duration 2:39

Loaded: 6.24%

Stream Type LIVE

Remaining Time 2:39

That Manie Libbok no-look kick vs Scotland | RPTV

In this excerpt from the highly acclaimed Chasing the Sun 2, Manie Libbok talks through that famous try in the opening round of Rugby World Cup 2023. Watch the full series on RugbyPass TV

Watch now

Dawson believed Ireland’s defence will be a tougher assignment than England’s, which held the All Blacks to 24 points and three tries.

“Ireland could be licking their lips here,” Dawson told OTB Rugby.

“England’s defence was solid. Ireland’s defence, when it’s really well organised under Andy Farrell, is probably even better.

“You know, the All Blacks have got a couple of injuries, Codie Taylor, Beauden Barrett, it’s definitely there for Ireland.

“It’s certainly not on a silver platter by any stretch. But there should be reasons for Irish fans to be very confident on Friday night.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins

Draws

Wins

Average Points scored

First try wins

60%

Home team wins

20%

The last time the two sides met was in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, where New Zealand shocked the number one ranked side by 28-24 to end their title dreams.

Since then Ireland have won another Six Nations crown, before securing a 1-1 series draw in South Africa against the World Cup-winning Springboks.

After South Africa lost to Argentina in this year’s Rugby Championship, Ireland reclaimed World Rugby’s number one ranking.

The scars of that quarter-final fixture might be front of mind with the fans, but Dawson believes that the players will have moved on and ready to prove they are the best team in the world.

“You say the fans may not have got over the quarter-final, but the players have played a lot of rugby since then,” he said.

“The reality is, if you’re going to go on history or recent history, Ireland have dominated New Zealand, okay, you’re going to pick out one World Cup game, which you just wouldn’t do as a player.

“Ireland don’t fear New Zealand. They will be probably disappointed in themselves, of course, in the World Cup. But they don’t fear them.

“And it’s it will be another opportunity to put a marker down that they’re one of the best teams in the world, if not the best team in the world.”

Classic Wallabies vs British & Irish Legends | First Match | Full Match Replay

Did the Lions loosies get away with murder? And revisiting the Springboks lift | Whistle Watch

The First Test, Visiting The Great Barrier Reef & Poetry with Pierre | Ep 6: The Ultimate Test

KOKO Show | July 22nd | Full Throttle with Brisbane Test Review and Melbourne Preview

New Zealand v South Africa | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

USA vs England | Men's International | Full Match Replay

France v Argentina | World Rugby U20 Championship | Extended Highlights

Lions Share | Episode 4

Comments

20 Comments

Jacque 263 days ago

Look i would LOVE for the Ab'sto get one over Ireland - but i just CANNOT see it being the case. Espescially in Ireland.

Marc Jones 263 days ago

New Zealand have had a rough year, and I’m sure they’ll be up for this one. I wouldn’t like to call it either way. Ireland are a very very good side though and they’ll be disappointed if they don’t win… same for the All Blacks though… could be a close one

GL 263 days ago

Not sure an English ex-player is the best interpreter of the Irish mood

Head high tackle 263 days ago

Go you "lip lickers". Maybe lip licking could be included in the Scotland Comm games.

Another 263 days ago

A lot of blather in the build up to these test matches.

LN 263 days ago

Ireland have dominated the All Blacks in recent history yet in the last 6 games they’ve both won 3 each. Last 10 they both have won 5 each. Wonder how these pundits come up with these storylines

B 263 days ago

Scott Robertson wants his men to push through and sight their targets to help minimise errors from rushed and frustrating brain explosions.

This test match will highlight if the entire coaching staff can select from the All Blacks sqaud, a team capable of producing the necessary and silencing their critics.

Go the All Blacks...looking to have the rub of green again vs Ireland... onwards and upwards.

ColinK 263 days ago

Hopefully Ireland are loving the favorites tag. That can only help the underdog ABs. I do expect it will be tough for the men in black though especially without a couple of crucial players. But only a fool writes off an All Black team so we are in with a chance.

RedWarrior 263 days ago

Understand. But Ireland won't be affected by any tags. I think NZ know that they won't be getting any help from the men in green. Its still probably 50:50. Same as any games between the top 4. The smash and grab mentality might be exactly the right mindset for NZ for this one.

RedWarrior 263 days ago

There is a major story unfolding around Gleeson's bar in Booterstown, South Dublin City last night. Beaudy Barrett, DMac and Cody Taylor were there. DMac was supposed to be on the Guinness 0.0 but lets just say it didn't turn out that way.

Hours later, Dmac out cold, head on the table with a long stallagtite of flem and spittle rising and falling with his breathing. There is a video apparently.

The barman barred a staggering Taylor from any more Guinness but Taylor kept pushing past him, pulled the barmans seat up to the Guinness tap and personally pulled himself pints, claiming it was 'celebrity pint pulls mate'.

A picture, of one of these celebrity pint pulls made a local paper but it's only a matter of time before the real context comes out. Dmac is out of the team for Friday due to breaking 'internal standards', Sititi starting at 10.

Head high tackle 263 days ago

Love it! I heard the whole Ireland team was there and the 3 ABs drank them all under the table. Furlong got so scared he dropped out of Fridays game. Sexton adding another chapter to his book called "Self entitlement" ( 14th Chapter called self entitlement ) and you have actually mistaken an Irish hooker for Dmac as they looked the same!

Bruiser 263 days ago

You got too much time on your hands dude

ColinK 263 days ago

Haha Red Warrior. Sititi at 10! Wow now that would be a sight to behold.

I must say though the Guiness in Dublin is superb. Will be a huge game ABs are underdogs we don't mind that at all.

Jmann 263 days ago

cool story bro

Bull Shark 263 days ago

Sounds like the All Blacks circa 2004.

If what you are saying is true.

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Latest Features

LONG READ

Hugo Keenan: From high school 'D' team to British and Irish Lions immortality

Once omitted from the Leinster sub-academy, the Ireland full-back has taken a long and arduous road to a fairytale moment Melbourne.

LONG READ

How the Lions' injury-dogged 'Jukebox' Tadhg Furlong is still producing great hits

Despite a heavily disrupted season, Ireland's cornerstone tighthead is rolling back the years Down Under as he prepares to start an eighth straight Test.

LONG READ

Half-back depth is the flaw in 'Razor's' 4-4-4 Rugby World Cup plan

The All Blacks are stacked at least four deep in most positions, but Scott Robertson will be concerned by his options in the playmaking roles.

Comments on RugbyPass

Hammer Head 24 minutes ago

Half-back depth is the flaw in 'Razor's' 4-4-4 Rugby World Cup plan

What language would you prefer to liaise in? You seem to be struggling with English.

307 Go to comments

Hammer Head 53 minutes ago

What World Rugby say about Dan Sheehan's controversial Lions try

Me? Hawuema?

15 Go to comments

Hellhound 58 minutes ago

Michael Hooper weighs in on Jac Morgan clear-out

That is very technical yes. You are allowed to dive for a try, but the reason people dive into the goal area is to make it harder for a tackler to stop them from scoring a try, even in the corners. So if that diving tackle is illegal and deemed as trying to avoid the tacklers, then all diving tries basically is illegal. WR rules is getting screwed up, too technical. They aren't making the game better, but worse. Mostly because they are trying to stop the Boks innovation and come up with stupid different little things. They fail again and again and again. We need a whole new board at WR. People who really understand the game, not those who tries to please only certain countries and allowing them to disrespect rugby in all its forms like the French. Test rugby is supposed to be the ultimate pinnacle of any players career, but not to the French. The NH complain and WR jump to accomodate. SH complain and absolutely nothing happens. Most money invested goes to the NH and very little down South. Instead of improving the sport like what Rassie is doing, they try and destroy it. With all new innovative plays and tactics, it makes people sit up and talk about the sport and causing it to grow. WR is failing the sport. They all need to go

77 Go to comments

Flankly 1 hour ago

Wallabies call in new coach just 12 hours after Lions series heartbreak

At the rate that the Wallabies are improving you'd have to say a Lions tour next year might not look like 2-0 after two tests.

Schmidt is building a competitive team as we head towards the RWC.

Great to see.

1 Go to comments

Flankly 1 hour ago

Three decisions that went badly wrong for the Wallabies

Not sure how much of this would have been written if the team that scraped a win was the Wallabies, rather than the Lions.

A win is a win, but this was not a particularly convincing victory. The Lions were neither an irresistible force nor an immovable object for a Wallabies team that is far from their best.

The biggest take-away is that the Wallabies are rebuilding and are on their way back. Looking forward to seeing a competitive top-five ranked Australia team in the not too distant future.

2 Go to comments

DP 1 hour ago

Three decisions that went badly wrong for the Wallabies

Any news on the Boks and Rassie specifically? Wonder what innovative ideas they’re working on that fall well outside of the spirit of the game… this BIl series has been as rubbish as initially anticipated and expected.

Back to the piece at hand. Wasn’t Schmidt lauded for being a master tactician not too long ago? Talk about elementary errors.. the irony is that this really really poor Wallabies side could easily have beaten this BIL team, having played only 1 warm up test match against Fiji and with a limited playing pool.

2 Go to comments

Flankly 1 hour ago

Wallabies vs B&I Lions takes: Gibson-Park saved Lions, Gordon proved costly

Nice to see the Wallabies rebuilding a competitive team.

The overwhelming favorite won in the last yard, by a nose, and by virtue of getting a 50/50 call that many refs would have flipped the other way.

Kudos to the Wallabies, the team that vastly exceeded expectations.

3 Go to comments

BS 1 hour ago

Many Springboks fans are saying same thing about the Lions

Good ragebait article. Bad actual article

86 Go to comments

Flankly 2 hours ago

Finn Russell sends ominous warning to Wallabies

On current form the best fly-half in the game

Always say that a player is the best.

Good bait, if not insightful.

2 Go to comments

Wayneo 2 hours ago

Finn Russell sends ominous warning to Wallabies

Select 15 players from Leinster, sit back, enjoy the carnage.

2 Go to comments

Wayneo 2 hours ago

Many Springboks fans are saying same thing about the Lions

🤣😂

86 Go to comments

JH 2 hours ago

'Gutted' Joe Schmidt makes feelings clear over match-deciding call

I don’t have to convince anyone. They looked at it on TMO during the game and made a decision

Ironically, where I think the Aussies might have cause for complaint is Jac going off his feet. To be precise Genge flying in off his feet and landing on Jac putting him on his knees. So both off their feet

But it looks like that isn’t what the Aussies asked the officials to look at

19 Go to comments

DP 3 hours ago

Four Wallabies including Tizzano in doubt for final Test after Melbourne thriller

That’s two Oscar performances to the Wallabies - one for Nic White and now for the Carlo.

3 Go to comments

DP 3 hours ago

Many Springboks fans are saying same thing about the Lions

Seriously though… you’d have been pretty stupid to believe this BIL squad have achieved anything seismic against the worst wallabies team ever. Sit back and watch how NZ, Argentina, SA will utterly destroy them in the RC. BIL are an archaic concept that generates cash more than getting the pulse racing. World Cups are all that count. You know it.

86 Go to comments

alfiebart@btinternet.com 3 hours ago

Michael Hooper weighs in on Jac Morgan clear-out

And I thought it was us poms that were the winghers? Suck it up and move on. Just be proud of your team for pushing the Lions right to the whistle.

77 Go to comments

Super Sid 3 hours ago

'Gutted' Joe Schmidt makes feelings clear over match-deciding call

You've commented enough times to convince yourself but no one else is buying it - clean out on the neck/head, penalty and no try.

Go the ABs.

19 Go to comments

Mitch 3 hours ago

Andy Goode: Aussie comments didn't cover them in glory

South Africa or New Zealand would beat this touring team 3-0 and it would be as one sided as the 2005 series, so this is not a great team that has won this series and they won’t be great when they complete the whitewash.

3 Go to comments

JH 3 hours ago

'Gutted' Joe Schmidt makes feelings clear over match-deciding call

They are lower than hips albeit not by much. But Jac clears as low as he possibly can. Now that you can’t judo roll / croc roll he has only one way to try and ruck the jackaler off the ball. Which is what he does.

If a jackaler is that low there is going to then be contact with head and/or neck.

So then either that is a legal clear out, with head / neck contact accepted, or you are going to have to either ban jackaling or ban trying to ruck a jackaler off the ball. Which is your preference?

19 Go to comments

Tom 3 hours ago

Andy Goode: Aussie comments didn't cover them in glory

“Whinging Poms"

3 Go to comments

POHM 3 hours ago

Half-back depth is the flaw in 'Razor's' 4-4-4 Rugby World Cup plan

Ffffzzer is what you represent

307 Go to comments

LONG READ

LONG READ Half-back depth is the flaw in 'Razor's' 4-4-4 Rugby World Cup plan Half-back depth is the flaw in 'Razor's' 4-4-4 Rugby World Cup plan