It stands out from a mile off. From a Golden Mile off.
It only takes two press conferences to remind you of the gulf between New Zealand and Ireland.
Forget about the 20,000 kilometres, when it comes to rugby, Ireland are here [dash your hand out straight] and New Zealand are in another district [reach the same hand as high as possible, then jump].
The Thursday press briefings from Ireland and the All Blacks brought plenty of platitudes but nothing new. The All Blacks respect our pluck, little else.
Ask an All Black to name our biggest threats and they may mention Johnny Sexton, Rob Kearney and Sean O’Brien. Those are the only two to have registered on their radar and one of them is watching Saturday’s game from home.
Ask Ireland the same question and your will get a lengthy, effusive answer. Waisake Naholo must have been referenced at least six times by Joe Schmidt. Beauden Barrett and Jerome Kaino were not far behind.
Take, for example, these two questions about the respective nations.
Joe Schmidt was asked if New Zealaland were a better side now than the one that clinched a second successive World Cup in 2015. He replied:
“I’d have to say I’ve got incredible respect for the likes of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw who aren’t with them now but even the last time we played them when Israel Dagg went off and Beauden Barrett came on I thought he was a little bit of a game changer for them playing at full back. So you haven’t got Carter but you’ve got Barrett and Aaron Cruden was super against us last time as well.
“They just have that ability to add that shock value with new players coming in. I was a spectator watching in Auckland five years ago when Ireland were relatively well beaten at Eden Park but then went to Christchurch and almost beat the All Blacks.
“Then the All Blacks had a few injuries and it looked like a fantastic opportunity for Ireland and 60-0 later guys announce themselves on the international stage, the likes of Aaron Cruden with a freakish offload to Sonny Bill Williams running a close line off him early in the game and that just continued in that vain.”
Detail. All the horrible, meticulous detail.
Asked about Ireland’s chances on Saturday, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen mirrored the thoughts of Julian Savea and Ben Smith – Ireland will be “physical” and “tough”. Apart from their kicking game, no more. He commented:
“They score a lot of points off their lineout so they will see that as a part of their game they will want to get right whether it be from driving mauls or from scoring plays off it.”
Physical, tough guys that love nothing better than the kick-chase. That’s how we are viewed.
It would be easy to be affronted but, tweak as Ireland have in the last year, the Kiwi view is not far off.
Still, it would be nice if they remembered a few more Irish names.
Colm O’Rourke and Pauric Mahony join Colm Parkinson on a packed GAA Hour that includes Dick Clerkin appreciation and Sean Cavanagh envy. Subscribe here on iTunes.
