1
Johnny Sexton's reaction to historic win over All Blacks on NZ soil
By PA
Captain Johnny Sexton hailed a āvery, very special dayā for the whole of Ireland following a historic victory over New Zealand in Dunedin.
ADVERTISEMENT
The impressive Irish set up a tantalising deciding Test in Wellington by levelling the series at 1-1 with a first away win over the formidable All Blacks.
Andrew Porterās pair of tries paved the way for the landmark 23-12 triumph, with influential fly-half Sexton kicking 13 points to prevent a Kiwi fightback.
Video Player is loading.
Out-of-sorts New Zealand, who coasted to a 42-19 opening win last weekend in Auckland, paid a heavy price for a disjointed and undisciplined display.
Their repeated indiscretions included replacement prop Angus Taāavao receiving a 31st-minute red card for ploughing into the head of Garry Ringrose after Leicester Faingaāanuku and Ofa Tuāungafasi had each been sin-binned.
āAny time you create a little bit of history it means a lot,ā said Sexton. āItās a very, very special day for everyone in the country.
āWe talk a lot about making people at home feel very proud of us and itās right at the top of our lists.
ADVERTISEMENT
āIām unbelievably happy with the win. No Irish team has ever done it before and itās all on the line next week.ā
Irelandās momentous victory at Forsyth Barr Stadium followed 12 previous defeats on New Zealand soil.
Loosehead prop Porter powered over inside three minutes to give the tourists a dream start and an advantage they would never surrender.
Yet Andy Farrellās men only led 10-7 at the end of a chaotic first half in which the All Blacks had replacement prop Taāavao deservedly dismissed and lost Tuāungafasi and Faingaāanuku for 10-minute spells.
ADVERTISEMENT
Beauden Barrettās improvised score brought the hosts back within touching distance, while a yellow card for Ireland vice-captain James Ryan temporarily evened up the numbers going into the second period.
Sexton, who satisfied concussion protocols to start and also played down concerns about ātweakingā a knee late on, admitted he feared the worst during the interval.
āThe effort we put in last week, we didnāt get the rewards,ā said the Leinster man, who turns 37 on Monday.
āSame effort again this week and it was touch and go at times ā at half-time, I thought āoh my Godā.
āBut the reaction in the second half was superb; to score with 14 men, to bounce back like we did was great and we stayed in the moment.
āBy no means was it perfect ā we feel we could have played better in parts ā but a very special day.ā
Porterās second try ā only his fourth at international level ā just after the restart calmed nerves before Sextonās flawless kicking display guided the Irish home, prior to Will Jordanās consolation try.
Head coach Farrell was left beaming with pride following the headline-grabbing performance of his ācourageousā players.
āWe talk a lot about inspiring people back home and these lads they keep turning up and knocking down doors,ā he said.
āThe most special thing about tonight is no other Irish side will get the chance to do that again, will they?
āWe didnāt get sucked into the allure of the game of 13 men, 14 men, trying to play from everywhere. We kept them pinned down and the territory gain and the game control was outstanding.
āIt was a courageous effort. We kept playing the right game and the right parts of the field and applying pressure and Iām just so proud of them.
āThereās a series to be won and weāve earned the right to have a go at that.ā
Well Done Ireland š®šŖ