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New Zealand beat Ireland 28-24 in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals at Stade de France in Paris last Saturday, Oct. 14. The All Blacks, one of the most successful rugby teams in history, thus qualified for the semifinal of a World Cup yet again.
However, the No. 1-ranked Ireland played their hearts out in a pulsating match. But they lacked the precision and clinical approach of the Kiwis on the day. The quarterfinal curse thus continued for Ireland, who have not been able to reach the last four of a World Cup yet.
On that note, let us look at two reasons why the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup match.
Why New Zealand beat Ireland in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal
#1. Sam Cane and Ardie Savea imperious at breakdowns
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It was known before the start of the match that the Irish would not be able to move the ball as rapidly as the All Blacks would. Hence, the Irish relied greatly on succeeding at breakdowns with their powerful forwards.
However, Cane and Savea had other ideas. Cane, the All Blacks skipper, came up with a fantastic performance by stealing the ball at breakdowns with Richie McCaw-esque consistency. Cane's superlative performance meant that the Irish were unable to convert their territorial dominance into tries for the majority of the match.
The same went for Ardie Savea, who scored a try and earned a penalty. Ireland's last attack of the match consisted of more than 30 phases, but the All Blacks held on as substitute Sam Whitelock earned a penalty to dash Ireland's hopes.
The Irish tried attacking more often through the openside by playing long passes to the wings, but the Kiwis blocked the inside channels and did not allow Ireland to slip through.
#2. Playing box kicks and chip kicks to upset Ireland's rhythm
The Kiwis knew that they would struggle to deal with the Irish if the latter were continuously allowed to build phases in this Rugby World Cup quarterfinal. Hence, scrumhalf Aaron Smith kept playing box kicks off the base of the ruck to gain territory, or, to deny the Irish from gaining territory.
Moreover, one of Beauden Barrett's chip kicks led to one of New Zealand's tries. The Kiwi flyhalf had a decent match, with his brother Jordie showing precision on penalty kicks.
His Irish counterpart, Johnny Sexton, also hit the penalties well and moved the ball really well to keep Ireland going in what was probably his last international match. However, the Rugby World Cup simply did not belong to the Irish.
