OPINION: The All Blacks were out-muscled, outplayed, out-passioned and out-thought, as Ireland scored a third twin from their last five tests against New Zealand.
The 29-20 win exposed several cracks in coach Ian Foster's supposed 'best XV', as well as the tactical approach of the coaching staff.
Despite a tremendous defensive effort, few bright sparks stood out on a night when this New Zealand team showed they are easily shaken and struggle to recover.
Let's be honest, the scoreline flattered the All Blacks.
Here's how the All Blacks rated in defeat against Ireland:
Joe Moody 5
Invisible with ball in hand, but like many of his teammates, was busy off the ball, making 14 tackles.
Codie Taylor 4
A day to forget for Taylor, despite scoring a thrilling try midway through the half. Sixteen tackles couldn't make up for botched lineout throwing, poor handling and two penalties conceded.
Nepo Laulala 5
The All Black scrum was actually one of the success stories to come out of the test and Laulala was a big part of that. Made a couple of handling errors and missed three tackles in a below-par performance.
Brodie Retallick 5
Barely sighted, with just two touches, but did a good job off the ball with 11 tackles. The All Blacks needed more from him.
Sam Whitelock 6
Industrious around the park, making 18 tackles, but his two touches with ball in hand shows how out of rhythm the All Blacks were on attack.
Ethan Blackadder 6
Was as physical as any All Blacks forward and made 20 tackles, missing just one.
Dalton Papalii 8
Twenty-two tackles show the type of workrate Papalii provides and his build-up play for Taylor's try was a sign of his attacking ability. Did everything he could to keep the All Blacks in the game.
Ardie Savea 6
Was a rock defensively, making eight tackles from eight, but aside from one fleeting moment, he couldn't make the impact the All Blacks needed.
TJ Perenara 5
Poor attack from the Hurricanes man, who tried hard to influence the game. Was a monster on defence, which lifts his rating, but his ball release was agonisingly slow and his kicking game was just off, aside from one chip for Sevu Reece to chase.
Beauden Barrett 5
Went off early after suffering a head knock. Only had a couple of touches, before he departed the action.
Sevu Reece 7
Tried as hard as any All Black to stamp his mark on the game, but produced a couple of silly errors. Went close to scoring on a Perenara kick, but aside from that, most of his work was in his own half.
Made 12 tackles in an encouraging defensive display.
Anton Lienert-Brown 5
Went off late in the first half and looked very ginger afterwards. Was excellent defensively, before he departed, making 10 tackles, but only had three carries for seven metres on a day when his team looked bereft of attacking quality.
Rieko Ioane 6
Didn't touch the ball until the early moments of the second half, but looked creative in the few moments he had. Got his timing slightly wrong with his pass to brother Akira, but otherwise solid, making nine tackles in the midfield and missing two.
Will Jordan 8
Was caught in possession late in the game, but looked the only serious threat going forward and scored a wonderful try midway through the second half. Eighty-two metres with ball in hand were a test match-high by some margin.
Jordie Barrett 6
Error-free game for Barrett, who always popped up where he needed to be on defence. Couldn't spark the All Blacks into gear with ball in hand, but the stuttering attack wasn't his fault.
Reserves
Dane Coles 6
Made an impact when he was on the park, should have played the entire second half.
Karl Tu'inukuafe 5
Tyrel Lomax 5
Tupou Vaa'i N/A
Akira Ioane 5
Had a 20-minute stint and thought he had scored the go-ahead try. Couldn't influence the game as he has in the past, but the seeds for the loss were sewn well before his inclusion.
Finlay Christie N/A
Richie Mo'unga 5
Often shines when the team is going forward, but he just can't stamp his mark on a game that isn't flowing in the right direction. Yes, the All Blacks struggled for ball, but when they got it, he was nowhere to be found.
David Havili 4
Came on late in the first half, after Lienert-Brown went down with a shoulder injury. Had plenty of touches, but just doesn't seem to produce the goods in the big moments against quality opposition.
Missed a game-high three tackles and made just eight metres with ball in hand.
Brad Lewis is a Newshub online sports producer. Join us at 9am Sunday for live updates of the All Blacks v France test.
