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I have to start by stealing a great line from the New Zealand Morning Herald. Luck of the Irish? – they don’t have any they deserved to win that test. Well we didn’t I guess, but if ever there was time you were going to proud of the team, it was Saturday.  To have the world champions rocked back, looking for answers and finding none, for the scores to be even with five minutes left, and the for the AB’s to be down to 14 men, that wasn’t in the script. How cruel is it that it was them  who managed to get down to our try line and spare their blushes with a drop goal, and not the other way around. Our forwards were gigantic, world class, every single one of them, and our back line dangerous and threatening. I haven’t rated Murray for Ireland so far – he proved me wrong with the performance of his life, with quick, crisp, decisive play. Everyone, with or without the ball, put their bodies on the line.

We gave a few soft penalties away in the first half, which kept the AB’s in the game, and probably cost the game in the end. Well, at least the All Blacks know what we’re about now. It’s hard to say where this performance came from. Declan Kidney has to take some major credit for it, if he can inspire his troops like that every time we play, we won’t ever let him go.

Elsewhere, Wales were hugely unlucky to lose out to the Aussies. Rhys Priestland put in too many wayward kicks, which combined with an absolutely brutal line out, handed way too much easy ball to the Aussies.  Australia are in a quandary at fly half, they were far too deep, and kept getting caught behind the game line. I think the £N is going to be tough for them.

In the last match on Saturday, the Boks put in a barn storming first half to have England on the ropes. A much better performance from England in the second half had them chasing an unlikely victory, until the Boks woke up and put the game to bed. Ben Youngs has stepped up his game, and to me Tom Johnson is the find of the tour.