New Zealand are ramping up their preparations for the Rugby Championship, off the back of a series which saw them narrowly hold on in back-to-back tests against England.
Two games each against Argentina, South Africa, and Australia are only the first instalment of a hectic end to the year for the All Blacks, who have a northern hemisphere tour to look forward to during November.
They will face off against England once again at Twickenham, before a mouthwatering visit to Dublin a week later on November 9th.
The two sides have shared a brilliant rivalry in recent years, ignited by Ireland's first-ever win over the Kiwis in 2016. Since that Chicago clash, the two sides have won four each from their subsequent eight meetings.
Though Ireland triumphed in the test series down under in 2022, the All Blacks had the final say with victory in last year's Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
14 October 2023; Garry Ringrose of Ireland is tackled by New Zealand players Jordie Barrett, left, and Ardie Savea during the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris, France. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Pride is on the line in the Aviva in November, so, and Ireland will hope to build on their recent win over South Africa in Durban.
Ex-All Black Justin Marshall believes that Ireland's performances in South Africa showcased a major gap in creativity between them and New Zealand.
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Justin Marshall thinks New Zealand are not as "creative" as Ireland
Speaking to SENZ in New Zealand, Justin Marshall dissected the performances of the All Blacks since Scott Robertson took over as head coach.
Marshall used the recent Irish tour of South Africa as an example of what he perceived as a gap in New Zealand's play.
The 81-times capped All Black said that he felt New Zealand were not "advanced" enough to pull off moves as creative as the one which led to Conor Murray's try in the first test in Pretoria.
I don’t feel that we are advanced enough yet to start to do some of the things that Ireland are doing with their forwards.
If you want to see what I am talking about, go to the first test and see the try that Conor Murray scored. Off the breakdown, that attack was simply sensational.
They had two front runners, two runners coming from depth – one inside, one out – and the ball player just left the ball in the middle and literally there were four options.
We’re not there, we’re not that creative yet. We’ve got to become more balanced in our thinking of who we select and what they offer us across the park, rather than in one area.
Even though Ireland were on the losing side in Pretoria, there were positive signs in defeat which were reflected in the following week's victory in Durban.
It will certainly be fascinating to track New Zealand's progress through the Rugby Championship, as Irish fans look ahead to the renewal of this great rivalry in November.
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