In what was anticipated to be a pulse-racing, end-to-end affair Ireland V New Zealand ended up being a lacklustre game where the All Blacks came out on top.
With the high number of knock-ons and handling errors from both side it was hard for the game to get into any flow, so it ended up being played predominately tight around the rucks.
The All Blacks ultimately won the arm wrestle as they fronted up to Ireland and dominated the set piece and collisions as Ireland failed to answer back to the All Black pressure all match with their only purple patch coming in the 10 minutes Jordie Barrett was sin binned.
It was ultimately a gloomy night for Ireland as there was few positives to take from it as Ireland were firmly second-best.
One of the few moments which got the crowd at the Aviva going was in the first half when a feisty altercation took place between Joe McCarthy and All Blacks captain Scott Barrett.
The two locks went at it after Joe McCarthy made a hit on All Blacks out half Damian McKenzie after the 10 knocked-on the ball and the ref was in the process of rewarding the scrum to Ireland. It certainly was an unnecessary hit from McCarthy but there was no malice in it and it wasn't something you've never seen before on the rugby pitch.
However after Ireland were rewarded the scrum, Scott Barrett came in grabbing McCarthy by his collar as the two exchanged words while the other players tried separating the two goliaths and McCarthy ended up with a hand in his face.
8 November 2024; Joe McCarthy of Ireland tussles with Scott Barrett of New Zealand during the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
"You're Not Targeting Our 10 Like That": Scott Barrett Explains Joe McCarthy Altercation
The moment was one of the very few talking points to come out of the match and in his post match press conference, Scott Barrett explained why he took umbrage with Joe McCarthy.
I don't usually take exception but I saw something that was below the line for me and I had make a point that 'tonight, you're not targeting our 10 like that.'
They play hard, they're a great team, physical team and a great with ball in hand, it was just the one moment there.
I was getting up from a ruck and from where I saw it, Damian [McKenzie] was on the ground and I think Joe cleaned him up. From where I saw it it was around his head, whether it was or not I'm not really sure but I guess I took exception to that in the moment, it may not have been so yeah, not too sure.
"I don't usually take exception but I saw something that was below the line for me and I had make a point that 'tonight, you're not targeting our 10 like that."
Scott Barrett on an incident with Joe McCarthy in the first-half tonight.#IREvNZL | #AutumnNationsSeries pic.twitter.com/nIVXOtqktO
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) November 9, 2024
As a captain, it's to be expected that Barrett would stand up for his players but his comments about 'targeting' and believing the hit was on his head are interesting. Barrett is the only All Black to have received two red cards as well as three yellow cards so it's not like he has a clean record. Nonetheless, if he believed McKenzie was hit in the head then fair enough.
The rivalry between Ireland and New Zealand has really become feisty over the past couple of years and incidents like these could be a sign of things to come as the two sides seem to not like each other more and more after each game.
