Performance of the Day: Ireland v New Zealand

On a historic day for Irish rugby it was impossible to pick anyone else as our performers of the day. The Irish side held out at Soldier Field, Chicago for their first ever win over the mighty All Blacks with a 40-29 scoreline.

The Irish side showed great attacking intent from the start as they went over after ten minutes for their first five pointer to cancel out George Moala’s early try. Jordi Murphy was the man who barrelled over the line following a strong Irish maul. They followed up on this with a strong pushover score from CJ Stander seven minutes later. They weren’t finished there however, as Conor Murray scored a scintillating solo effort late in the half, after throwing a dummy from the back of a ruck that fooled the whole New Zealand defence.

New Zealand came back at the Irish in the second period as expected, but not before Simon Zebo got on the end of a Jonny Sexton pass to dive over in the corner. TJ Perenara and Ben Smith hit back for New Zealand but Ireland showed great character as they overcame adversity, with their playmaker Sexton going off injured for young debutant Joey Carberry. Conor Murray stepped up to score his first penalty kick for Ireland before Robbie Henshaw sealed the win with a wonderful try in the final couple of minutes.

Every player on the Irish side was superb today but to name a few standout performers, Murray showed a very cool head in what was a chaotic game, Henshaw worked himself to the bone and got over for a deserved score, Kearney showed real leadership at the back and Sexton and Zebo showed real creativity in attack. In the forwards, CJ Stander showed his commitment to the Irish cause with some massive hits and a great try, whilst Devin Toner was magnificent in the lineout.

Ireland stop New Zealand’s winning streak with this unforgettable victory and will look to take this form into the rest of their internationals this November. If they can reproduce this form they will surely go into the Six Nations as favourites next February. Many Irishmen put their hands up for Lions places next summer this evening. Warren Gatland will be paying close attention to the second test in Dublin in a couple of weeks time. It should be another intense affair and an unmissable occasion.