New Zealand coach Scott Robinson on Friday said that his side showed their most astute game management since he took charge at the start of this year in their clinical 23-13 win over world No. 1 side Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
New Zealand traveled with plenty to prove in their November tour after a disappointing maiden Rugby Championship for Robertson, where the once notoriously strong finishers managed just one score in the last quarter in each of their six games.
They put Ireland away in the final 20 minutes on Friday after trailing briefly in the second half and Robinson agreed when asked if the performance was the most astute the All Blacks’ had put together over 80 minutes this year.
Photo: AP
“As I’ve said before, every game we could have won this year,” Robinson told a news conference. “We can still be better, too, but there were a couple of key moments that swung the momentum back our way that has sometimes gone the other way.”
“I’m really pleased. I’m pleased because we showed so much courage and care on both sides of the ball, and it was just a classic Test match,” he said.
The former New Zealand back row highlighted some “incredible defensive sets” and his side’s ability to capitalize when Ireland’s discipline let them down in the second half.
Photo: AFP
He also praised Damian McKenzie, who kicked all except for five of New Zealand’s points on his return to flyhalf after Beauden Barrett missed out due to a concussion.
“DMac was mercurial as normal. You know, he trusted his instinct, and it was a hell of a night for him. Great off the boot and just really pleased,” Robinson said.
The victory ended Ireland’s 19-game unbeaten streak at home and was New Zealand’s second in a row over the back-to-back Six Nations champions since their series defeat to Andy Farrell’s men on home soil in 2022.
After narrowly beating England last week, captain Scott Barrett said improvements were needed at the breakdown ahead of another big clash against France next week.
“They were really targeting us, particularly on our ball. At times our body height was a little bit high and they were able to disrupt so I guess it’s on us and that’s probably the first thing to address next week,” he said.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
RSS