Ireland 'need to get their house in order' after stinging All Blacks defeat

Andy Farrell said there were "no excuses" and the best team won after the All Blacks beat Six Nations champions Ireland 23-13 to end their 19-match winning streak at Lansdowne Road on Friday. The Irish looked rusty in a match that never threatened to reach the heights of their epic Rugby World Cup quarter-final last year which the All Blacks edged 28-24. The All Blacks had Ireland's measure on a night when the drizzle dampened fans' spirits even before the match.

Damian McKenzie's 18 points and Will Jordan's try sent the Irish supporters away even glummer - they had not experienced the home losing feeling since France beat them in the Six Nations in 2021. Compounding a miserable night for Ireland, it was their worst home defeat since England beat them 32-20 in 2019. Farrell, who leaves temporarily after the November Tests to assume his duties as British & Irish Lions head coach for next year's tour of Australia, refused to blame referee Nic Berry for the costly penalties Ireland conceded.



⌚️ Will Jordan found the perfect moment to score for New Zealand against Ireland to seal the victory! 🇳![CDATA[]]>🇿#breitling @Breitling #definingmoment pic.twitter.com/weqwhaPbRK — Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 8, 2024 "We need to get our own house in order first, there's no excuses for us," said Farrell.

"Rustiness or...

AFP.