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All Blacks - 42 Ireland - 19
FULLTIME - We end in fitting fashion, more great NZ defence kills off a high quality test at Auckland. Click here for a full wrap and highlights.
83rd min - Two tries held up. Yet another penalty for Ireland. We're well into the red here.
80th min - Ireland finishing wth a flurry. One final crack from a 5m lineout.
78th min - Replacement Tu'inukuafe sent to the bin for a ruck infringement. Slightly harsh on review.
77th min - TRY IRELAND to Bundee Aki
Pure power from the Kiwi, who takes a one-out pass and barrels his way to graze the ball on the chalk. ( NZ 42-19)
75th min - Ireland chasing consolation points, just metres out. Incredible tryline defence somehow denies Porter, great work from Whitelock.
71st min - TRY ALL BLACKS to Pita Gus Sowakula
That's how you mark your test debut! The big Chiefs star dives under the black dot for a vintage No. 8 try off the back of the scrum. (NZ 42-12)
68th min - Great field position here for the All Blacks. Scrum in the shadow of the posts, 5m out.
64th min - Sowakula on for his test debut. NZ scrum at their own 22m, Finlay Christie on for Smith to feed the ball.
61st min - Mo'unga is on, Barrett shifting to fullback and Jordie to 12 for Tupaea.
59th min - Ireland tap quickly from the penalty. Close range attack ends with Josh van der Flier appearing to have scored under the bar, until replays show a clear knock on - again, courtesy of a late hand from Ioane. Two sensational defensive efforts by the Blues star.
59th min - Joey Carbery reaches out to place the ball down over the line, but the review reveals he lost control under the tackle of Ioane. No try, but they want to check for a high tackle. Looked pretty inocuous. Back for a penalty for offside.
58th min - Ireland just metres out from the NZ line.
53rd min - TRY ALL BLACKS to Ardie Savea
Superb individual effort by Savea, who brushes off defenders on a wide running arc from 30m out to go over untouched. Finger point to the crowd for good measure. (NZ 35-12)
51st min - Another penalty at the scrum for NZ. They'll ask to reset and go again. 5m from the line in the centre of the field.
Free kick conceded and Ireland have escaped.
49th min - Lovely setpiece puts NZ just metres out from the line. Penalty advantage cashed in, they could throw this over for three points. Wow, they call for the scrum instead.
48th min - Penalty NZ in very handy kicking range. Cane says no, we'll look to the 5m lineout.
46th min - Penalty Ireland from the restart and they're back inside NZ territory. Untidy at the lineout and NZ have it, working past halfway.
44th min - TRY IRELAND to Garry Ringrose
They had to score first and they have. Patient attack yet again, which ends with Lowe standing in the tackle and finding a looping Ringrose, who dives and dots down in the corner. Carbery slots the conversion from the sideline. (NZ 28-12)
43rd min - NZ defend the maul well but Bower is pinged for not rolling away. Ireland will go again from 5m out.
42nd min - Encouraging opening movement for Ireland. Ends with a penalty. They'll look to the 5m lineout.
41st min - Huge mountain to climb here for the Irish, who have lost skipper Sexton to a head injury.
Second half underway...
HALFTIME
40th min - Penalty NZ. They're content to kick into touch and send us to the sheds.
38th min - TRY ALL BLACKS to Ardie Savea
Smith bursts clear from the ruck, chips the final defender. Dives to knock the ball back, three Irish defenders are beaten by the bounce and Savea is on the spot to dot down. Killer burst here by NZ.
37th min - NZ penalty from the restart. Lineout at the Ireland 10m.
36th min - TRY ALL BLACKS to Quinn Tupaea
Brilliant from B. Barrett who spots some space behind the rushing defensive line. Tupaea times his run perfectly and is able to patiently wait for the ball to bounce for himn to go over next to the posts. Huge blow there for NZ, who have turned up the notch in the last 15. (NZ 21-5)
34th min - NZ blow over at the ruck. Inside the 22m and making metres. Oddly, J. Barrett decides to look to the grubber. Ireland lineout near their own line.
32nd min - NZ finding a bit more rhythm now. Barrett bombs, falls for Savea. Loose ball at the ruck, Ireland tap and go quickly from the penalty. Huge hit by Cane forces the ball free and NZ surge back.
30th min - TRY ALL BLACKS to Sevu Reece
Messy ball for the Ireland backs and a loose pass bobbles on the ground for Reece to pounce on and scorch 80m to score under the crossbar. (NZ 14-5)
29th min - Sloppy at the lineout maul and it's back with the Irish. They're inside the 22m...
27th min - Sexton hoists the bomb, tapped back for Ireland. They approach the 22m but the NZ defence forces the action into touch. NZ lineout at their 22m.
26th min - Ireland work a set play and Lowe fumbles on the wing and into touch. NZ opt for the lineout over the scrum.
24th min - NZ spill the restart, handing a scrum to Ireland just outside the NZ 22m. Great attacking position in the centre of the field.
22nd min - TRY ALL BLACKS to Jordie Barrett
Great work by Tupaea to free Faninga'anuku, who came close to crossing in the corner. Smith is there in a flash and picks out the perfect target in Barrett to crash over from close range. He converts his own try. (NZ 7-5)
21st min - Inside the 22m from a scrum. Fainga'anuku with room, goes within inches.
18th min - Smith box kick, comfortably taken by Ireland. Sexton chips again but Tupaea is on hand, NZ work their way towards the Irish 22m.
16th min - Barrett manages to get a kick into touch but it will be more attacking ball for the tourists. Knock on at the lineout, NZ scrum at their 10m.
14th min - Huge shunt for the All Blacks at the scrum and they win the defensive penalty. Big moment for the pack there. NZ lineout at the Ireland 10m, but their ball is stolen. Ireland break with a chip and chase and B. Barrett saves a certain try with an intercept.
11th min - J. Barrett makes a nice burst but NZ are again turned at the ruck. Ball hacked ahead, foot race down the wing and the cover gets there. Attacking lineout for Ireland, turns to a free kick. They ask for a scrum at the 22m.
10th min - NZ lineout at their own 10m. Smith box kick falls for Tupaea, tough pass spilled by Whitelock. Ireland scrum at their 10m. Cane pulverised by Ringrose in that movement. He felt that.
7th min - TRY IRELAND to Keith Earls
What an early statement by Ireland, who worked 18 phases before Earls found space on the right to crash over in the tackle after some scrambling NZ defence. Sexton sprays the conversion. (Ireland 5-0)
6th min - 17 phases now, heroic defence here by NZ...
5th min - Ireland working through the phases. NZ defence is staunch but they're making progress. 5m from the line now.
3rd min - Lowe clears from the lineout. Reece looks to have a run but Smith is pinged for offside at the ruck. Ireland lineout just outside the NZ 22m.
2nd min - Aerial ping-pong ensues. Barrett decides to tuck it eventually and takes the tackle near halfway. Strong surge by Ioane. Jordie Barrett puts in a grubber, Ireland lineout about 10m from their own line.
1st min - B. Barrett gets us started. Short and high and the All Blacks disrupt the ruck. Referee said there was a hand in there, Irish scrum near their own 10m.
We're underway...
7:04pm - Aaron Smith steps up to the lead the haka in the absence of TJ Perenara. A good old fashioned rendition of 'Ka Mate' to set the scene for 2022.
7pm - Out come the All Blacks to a rousing ovation, after the Irish received a hearty one of their own. Into the anthems, we go.
6:55pm - Ideal conditions at The Garden this evening. Crisp and clear, barely a breath of wind. Ready for a spectacle.
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Kia ora and welcome to our live coverage of the All Blacks' first test hit-out of 2022 against Ireland at Auckland.
As far as opening tests of the season go, they don't come much tougher than the Irish, who have had the upper hand on the All Blacks over the past few years. They've won three of the past five contests, most recently tipping the New Zealanders up in comprehensive fashion at Dublin on last year's European tour.
After finishing that tour with two successive losses, the All Blacks will be desperate to kick off the year with a victory at their fortress at Eden Park, where they haven't been beaten since 1986.
Join us for all of the action from 7pm.
TAB betting odds:
All Blacks - $1.27 Ireland - $3.70
Team line-ups:
All Blacks: 1-George Bower, 2-Codie Taylor, 3-Ofa Tuungafasi, 4-Brodie Retallick, 5-Sam Whitelock, 6-Scott Barrett, 7-Sam Cane (c), 8-Ardie Savea, 9-Aaron Smith, 10-Beauden Barrett, 11-Leicester Fainga'anuku, 12-Quinn Tupaea, 13-Rieko Ioane, 14-Sevu Reece, 15-Jordie Barrett
Reserves: 16-Samisoni Taukei'aho, 17-Karl Tu'inukuafe, 18-Angus Ta'avao, 19-Pita Gus Sowakula, 20-Dalton Papalii, 21-Finlay Christie, 22-Richie Mo'unga, 23-Braydon Ennor
Ireland: 1-Andrew Porter, 2-Dan Sheehan, 3-Tadhg Furlong, 4-Tadhg Beirne, 5-James Ryan, 6-Peter O'Mahony, 7-Josh van der Flier, 8-Caelan Doris, 9-Jamison Gibson-Park, 10-Johnny Sexton (c), 11-James Lowe, 12-Robbie Henshaw, 13-Garry Ringrose, 14-Keith Earls, 15-Hugo Keenan
Reserves: 16-Dave Heffernan, 17-Finlay Bealham, 18-Cian Healy, 19-Kieran Tredwell, 20-Jack Conan, 21-Conor Murray, 22-Joey Carberry, 23-Bundee Aki
Aaron Smith admits Dublin defeat left scars before first test at Eden Park
Ireland's win over New Zealand last year still haunts the All Blacks, as they look to right those wrongs in the first test at Eden Park on Saturday.
The tourists have won the last three out of five fixtures between the two sides, including the 29-20 upset in November, 2021.
All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith admits the loss still weighs heavy on the mind, but the tem are eager to rectify that result, as Ireland chase their first win on New Zealand soil.
"There's obviously still scar-tissue, you'd be silly not to think about last year," he said. "But that was eight or nine months ago.
"This group have been really excited looking at the footage, reviewing that game and learnings from the France game as well.
"There's a lot of hungry people on the bus ready to put their foot forward. But it's not been mentioned much, just more around our skill sets and how we want to improve as an All Blacks team this year.
"That's been a real focus for us. A lot of learnings from the backend of last year, there was still a lot of good last year. Playing those teams over there in their home stadiums is very tough and at the backend of a long tour for the lads.
"We're jumping out of our skin to run out at Eden Park."
The All Blacks have been ravaged by COVID-19 in the build-up to the series opener in Auckland, with head coach Ian Foster and three of his assistants testing positive, as well as players David Havili, Jack Goodhue and Will Jordan.
But Smith believes it only serves as extra motivation, as they come up against a side desperate to break their hoodoo and record an historic win.
"It's very exciting. It doesn't get much bigger than Ireland coming. Definitely in the last five, six years, the rivalry has definitely grown," he added.
"Every test match is hard but it's going to be really nice to play Ireland at home. We're ready to go, we're really excited, it's been a great week and the last couple weeks of us binding, going from Kerikeri to Auckland. It doesn't get much bigger than Eden Park tests.
"All year playing Super Rugby, you dream of what's in the calendar, imagine being there and luckily enough get to do it this weekend. That's what we've been talking about as leaders, how exciting of an opportunity to play a great team and play them at Eden Park."
All Blacks first-five Beauden Barrett echoed Smith's comments, and believes they're a much better team than the one he made his test debut against 10 years ago.
"We've been over to Dublin a few times since then. They're a quality side, they're well-coached, they have been for a number of years," he said.
"Under Johnny Sexton, he knows how to run the kind of game they want to play and it's built off the back of a really good set-piece and a breakdown that they pride themselves on.
"We've seen the game evolve a fair bit since then, when I debued 10 years ago and I think we've seen the team grow significantly.
"They're a quality team, and we felt that last year in Dublin, the intensity of that test match was why they were right up there."
