40-29.
Five tries.
62,300 rugby fans on their feet.
The world shaken.
Holy s*** lads! https://t.co/yVCMCpb1fS
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 6, 2016
Ireland didn’t just beat New Zealand. They didn’t just end their 18-game streak with frightening aplomb. They bested the All Blacks, in defence and attack, and they were well worth their 11-point win.
Conor Murray proved he could just be the best number nine in the world.
Ultan Dillane’s actions with the fans after the game smacked of a man who just gets it.
Jared Payne laid claim to being the most underrated player in Irish rugby.
It was an emphatic performance by Joe Schmidt’s charges and it damn well needed to be to end 111 years of hurt.
It was not, however, a fluke. It wasn’t luck, it wasn’t timing, it was – as the classy All Blacks themselves put it – the better team on the day getting the result. When the opposition had to rejig their side, Ireland had a manager wily enough to exploit it and they produced the killer blows.
You wouldn’t believe that looking at the odds this week though.
These are exciting times https://t.co/6irnlVOddY
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 7, 2016
Ireland welcome New Zealand to Dublin on Saturday night, November 19, but the bookies aren’t too keen on sticking their necks on the line
Ireland are still rank outsiders and the spread on offer would suggest that last weekend never even took place. The handicap is 16 points.
That’s right, despite an 11-point win for Ireland, they’re still considered 16 points worse off. A 27-point swing in the space of three days.
Paddy Power have New Zealand at 1/12 favourites to put Ireland away at the Aviva Stadium.
And even if you gave Ireland a 16-point head-start, you still couldn’t get evens for an All-Blacks win.
And there was us thinking we had turned a corner.
Still, good value on backing Ireland.
Who are the winners of the much-coveted 2016 Wooly Awards? Find out in our GAA Hour Special
