Reduced to 14 in the 31st minute, territorially dominated in the first period then disorganized in the second, the triple world champions suffered the game of the Irish who had already beaten them in Dublin last November (29-20).

The results of the last six confrontations between the two countries now show three victories everywhere.

The "beautiful" next Saturday in Wellington will therefore be crucial, for the last of the three test matches between the two teams.

Johnny Sexton, impeccable in front of the poles (100% success), will be able to celebrate his 37th birthday on Monday with the certainty of duty accomplished, he who will be remembered later that he will therefore have been the first captain of the XV of Clover to win on the lands of the All Blacks.

Enough to forget the controversy born this week following his concussion suffered last Saturday at Eden Park, despite which the Leinster player was aligned in Dunedin by Andy Farrell.

This meeting, marked by a certain indiscipline (3 yellow cards, 1 red), could have turned to the advantage of the Blacks, so much the Irish missed opportunities in the first period.

But that will not prevent Dublin pubs from celebrating this victory, which erases the slap of the first test-match during which the Blacks, led after five minutes and a try from Keith Earls, then scored four tries in less than 20 minutes, before taking off in the second act where they had added two more.

reduced to 14

In Dunedin, the barely digested Haka, the Irish crossed the line by their pillar Andrew Porter, well served by winger Mack Hansen, after a breakthrough from Tadhg Beirne.

In difficulty, Sam Cane's teammates then made their defense speak, intractable, preventing the Irish from concretizing in points their territorial domination and their numerical superiority.

But instead of taking advantage of this clear advantage, the Irish have chained the bad decisions, showing inaccuracies and not scoring.

Worse, they also found themselves at 14, after the yellow card sent to James Ryan.

New Zealander George Bower (right) and Irishman Josh van der Flier (left) during the second test match between the two teams, won by Ireland on July 9, 2022 in Dunedin Marty MELVILLE AFP

An advantage that the Blacks, unlike the Irish, did not miss: for their first foray into Irish territory, they managed to flatten, by Beauden Barrett, just before the break (7-10).

Upon returning from the locker room, the XV of Clover finally managed to score, for the double of Andrew Porter (17-7, 49th), before Sexton definitively took off his team, not worried, even by the second All Blacks try, by Will Jordan, three minutes from the end.

Make way for the beautiful next Saturday.

© 2022 AFP