The Aviva Stadium in Dublin will come to life on Friday night when Ireland face off against New Zealand in one of the most eagerly-anticipated matches of the Autumn Nations Series.
The All Blacks are in third place in the latest World Rankings, while Ireland are ahead of the back-to-back world champions South Africa at the top of the standings.
Match preview
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For over a century, this rivalry was incredibly lopsided, with New Zealand winning 27 of the 28 encounters between these sides, while only one match ended in a draw during that period.
However, in 2016, all that changed, as Ireland finally got their first-ever victory over the mighty All Blacks in Chicago, and since then, they have gone on to win five of the following nine matchups.
For the Shamrocks, this game is likely to be about more than just a victory, it is a chance at revenge 13 months in the making, as it was this very opponent who brought an end to their World Cup campaign in France last year.
Andy Farrell's side have responded well since that disappointment, though, securing a second consecutive Six Nations title earlier this year, with their only defeat in that competition coming by way of a last-gasp drop goal by Marcus Smith.
Ireland are also in relatively good shape coming into this match, though the one area that could prove a concern is at hooker, with Dan Sheehan ruled out through injury, while Ronan Kelleher and Rob Herring have only recently returned from their absences.
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While this New Zealand team might not rank among the all-time greatest squads they have put out, they have shown the ability to hold their own in tight situations, like they did against England last weekend.
Additionally, the All Blacks have been playing consistently since the Rugby Championship, and with recent victories over Japan and England, they should be well-prepared and match-hardened.
The one decision that has raised a few eyebrows in the lead-up to this match, though, is that Scott Robertson has resisted the temptation to bring in players from a bench that gave his side so much impact last week and essentially won him the game.
From a tactical standpoint, it will be intriguing to see how well Ireland's rush defence can hold up against the formidable All Blacks' counter-attacking prowess here, and whether Jack Crowley can assert his authority and control the game from fly-half against this New Zealand side.
Indeed, the visitors conceded far too many penalties against England last week, and if they repeat such indiscipline, it will likely give the Irish a strong opportunity to gain a foothold in the game, and pegging them back will certainly not be an easy task.
Ireland form (all competitions):
- W
- W
- L
- W
- L
- W
New Zealand form (all competitions):
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
Team News
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Farrell has had to make a few big calls in terms of selection for this match, and has opted to recall Jamison Gibson-Park, who missed the Springboks tour through injury, to partner Crowley in the halves pairing.
Caelan Doris will captain the side from number eight and he will be flanked by Josh van der Flier and Tadhg Beirne, meaning that former skipper Peter O'Mahony has to settle for a spot on the bench.
As mentioned, Robertson has opted to go with an almost identical side to the one that beat England last week, with the two changes being enforced in Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor, both of whom sustained concussions in the last match.
Replacing the aforementioned duo from last week's bench are Damian McKenzie and Asafo Aumua respectively, while George Bell and Stephen Perofeta have been named among the replacements.
Ireland starting lineup: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O'Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O'Mahony, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Jamie Osborne
New Zealand starting lineup: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Tele'a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa'i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements: 16 George Bell, 17 Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Stephen Perofeta
We say: Ireland 32-24 New Zealand
While New Zealand have had the better preparation coming into this match, Ireland have been mentally readying themselves for this opportunity at revenge for over a year, and they will have the best part of the expected 50,000 in attendance spurring them on.
It is bound to be an absolutely electric atmosphere in Dublin this weekend and we feel that the hosts will rise to the occasion and come out with the victory.
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Devesh Jaganath
