by Oisin Gaffey at the RDS
Ireland 'A' suffered a heavy defeat against a strong All Blacks XV side on Friday night in the RDS, with the visitors hammering Andy Farrell's side by 28 points. It was a dominant All Blacks performance and they scored within 10 minutes and never looked back.
With 30 minutes on the clock, Ireland 'A' failed to pose a real threat to the All Blacks defence and had no points on the board. The lineout and the breakdown were key areas that led to Ireland's demise, with New Zealand stealing a line out on their own 5 metre line, converting the opportunity into a try down the other end just seconds later.
Ireland 'A' scored three tries on the night through Ciaran Frawley, Marty Moore and Max Deegan, all of which were inconsequential on the outcome of the match.
Ireland 'A' were humbled by their opponent, but there are certainly positives to draw from the match. With the Rugby World Cup less than 12 months away, Andy Farrell and his coaching team will be looking to bring their best and most dynamic squad to France, this Ireland 'A' fixture a perfect opportunity for players to throw their names into contention.
READ HERE: Alan Quinlan Claims Ireland Given 'Reality Check' By New Zealand XV After Heavy Defeat
Andy Farrell highlights the benefits of Ireland 'A' experience
The benefits from these one-off Ireland 'A' fixtures will manifest in the years to come, as Ireland search for ways to evolve and compete. The Emerging Ireland Tour, whilst divisive, is another example of a different opportunity to improve the squad and bring younger, inexperienced players up to speed with International Rugby.
For Farrell and his coaching ticket, he wants to have the widest group of players available for selection, all competing with each other.
With Johnny Sexton's retirement after the 2023 World Cup, this forethought from Farrell and the IRFU will be hugely significant.
Head Coach Andy Farrell highlights the significance of these experiences, saying
The standard of the opposition was top drawer, and it's great that it was that way because it's all about the experience. The only thing that matters in this experience that we've faced is the learnings from this. I've just said to the lads "it's what you make of this now" it's how you reflect on the performance itself and how you break it down and how you take it back to your daily lives and see where you're really at.
You want them to feel a completely different experience and they certainly got that tonight.
On the injury front, Farrell noted that Ciaran Frawley will require a scan to his knee injury which could rule him out next week's game against Fiji. He also added that Ryan Baird didn't pass return to play protocols for his head injury.
Next Up, South Africa...easy.
SEE ALSO: Stuart McCloskey To Start Against South Africa With O'Brien Called Up To The Bench
