mate, can you confirm that the games before the world cup next summer are tests?
Iâve heard that mentioned alright
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I confirmed that for you yesterday. Donât be distracting now from the serious business at hand with your repetitive yapping. Weâre on the same side now that youâve converted and are a rugby man. Iâve a scummy soccer crowd to set right here. You should be doing the same.
If youâre not first youâre last
im worried that the scummy soccer crowd might belittle the game on Saturday if it has the exact prestige as warm up games
As per the World Rugby CEO, they are friendlies, not test matches
A solid 48 hours of seethe canât be good, thereâs lads gonna give themselves a stroke over this 
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Donât be worrying now. Iâve your back on this one with the scummy soccer crowd. Youâre a born worrier. You were worrying yesterday that the scummy soccer crowd could use the musings of a tennis journalist against us. I see the tennis journalist has made another howler today in the Paper of Record. He said Sam Whitelock made his debut against Ireland in 2012 in the 60-0 win in Waikato Stadium. Sam Whitelock made his debut against Ireland in New Plymouth in 2010, the test that Jamie Heaslip was sent off in. Whitelock scored two tries on his test debut.
It has ever been thus. Within minutes of New Zealand coach Steve Hansen diffusing Irelandâs win with a shrug, a deadpan, jokey mien and suggesting that, well these things do happen, lock Sam Whitelock was also selling a mood music of no panic.
From that we could reasonably deduce that the All Blacks have been quietly rattled.
Ireland were like an itch New Zealand couldnât scratch. While Hansen declared âIreland are the worldâs bestâ there was no serious talk of paradigm shifts.
Rugby is not a world title fight. But there were few around Aviva Stadium that refused to accept Ireland as currently the best pound for pound team in the world.
Whitelock and his 106 caps was new to this stuff. It seemed less like Irelandâs second win in the last three matches than grit in the All Black ointment. In Chicago it was Patrick Tuipulotu starting with Scott Barrett and Ardie Savea on the bench.
âLike we threw a lot at them, especially in that last 20, and they defended well and didnât let us attack,â said Whitelock.
But Whitelock was as grooved as Hansen with his disdain for shovelling too much praise Irelandâs way or too much criticism towards New Zealand. Defeat seemed almost a transient, abstract concept that would right itself in time for Tokyo next year.
Maybe it was the Kiwi mindset. Joe Schmidt, deep down aware of how he had wounded his own country, was also self contained.
Like the flares spewing out of the back of aircraft to distract heat seeking ordinance, Schmidt filled the room with possible reasons for New Zealandâs failure. A long Rugby Championship season, thousands of miles of air travel and missed opportunities that on another day would have been devoured.
To that backdrop the Irish pack brought rugby with ferocity, edge and aggression rarely seen outside the octagon.
But Whitelock didnât talk of the All Blacks becoming unnerved, or the endless supply of Irish bodies for a defence that knocked them back, or their own missed passes, dropped balls and ultimately lack of ideas.
âYeah, itâs always tough no matter who youâre playing against and tonight was no different,â said the secondrow seamlessly underscoring Ireland as no different from any other team.
âIt was a good battle out there and some big boys running straight, so thereâs some sore bodies and Iâm guessing theyâll be feeling the same.â
To his credit the suite of reasons for New Zealandâs performance earlier couriered from Schmidt were not taken up. In that the All Blacks never change. There are never excuses.
âThatâs the beauty of playing Test match rugby,â said Whitelock. âIt doesnât matter if itâs the first one of the year or the last one, youâre always excited to get out there and show the world what youâve got and tonight was no different.
âThe boys were definitely up [for it], we had a great week of preparation and itâs just a pity we didnât play the way we wanted to. But they didnât allow us to do that.
âI think the key things for us is that itâs a different style up here,â he added. âItâs something that weâve got to adapt to and weâre probably taking a little bit of time to do that.â
The World Cup canât come quick enough and Ireland have now established a rivalry for the modern age that few could have thought would materialise. The rise and rise of the team has fixed the All Blacks and their hard-earned sense of superiority. That mindset has been disrupted.
Schmidt has figured out how to beat New Zealand and put a squad together that can execute as he demands. Whitelockâs apparent lack of concern about that could be construed as either denial or real panic creeping into their thinking and the World Cup.
âItâs funny, as a player you hear all the talk about World Cups and stuff but itâs still a long time away,â he says defensively.
âFor us, weâve got another Test match and then weâll go on a break, so thereâs plenty of time and plenty of rugby to be played before the World Cup. But itâs something that weâre aware of. It was a great Test match.â
Whitelockâs debut for New Zealand was against Ireland in 2012, the same day as outhalf Beauden Barrett swept on to the scene. That day New Zealand thrashed Ireland 60-0 in Waikato Stadium. Quite a points swing. Who wouldnât be dazed by that?
The Irish Times should leave all rugby union reportage to GT and Gav, along with of course contributions from Matty and Liam.
The readers deserve that
Where are you finding these??
Ewan has become very tiresome about the rugby. Matt Cooper asked him was he disappointed about the Irish beating the All Blacks. His voice went up an octave as he said somewhat unconvincingly âsure I had that in my accumulatorâ.
You had in your hole, Ewan. You had in your hole.
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Why did Matt Cooper have Ewan on reviewing the rugby? Was there a feature on Brazilian rugby as well?
He has Ewan on as a guest quite a bit now.
The Oirish rubby team bating NZ has literally destroyed 2 or 3 days of ewans life.
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Is Ewan getting paid a few quid for it or is it all about the brand⌠Contrarian truthseeker/Twitter troll/trying to stay relevant living the high life in Brazil? Speaking of which is he staying there after the election results? I do agree with him about the rugby hype though.
Well done to the Irish rugby team on their phenomenal and historical victory over the AB the other day. The were fantastic. 
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Big boys running straight and sore bodies according to the New Zealand chap quoted. And that seems to sum up rubby these days. Lads looking to run into and through each other rather than through a gap. Too many piano pushers, not enough piano players.
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I mean that genuinely Ray. I like all sport and delight when our nation win regardless of what sport it is. It was exceptional stuff at the cutting face of highest intensity rugby union. Pure quality.
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