The All Blacks have got out of so many jails that they would probably have made fast work of Alcatraz had the Americans not closed it down 50 years ago….writes Peter Jackson.
After the most sensational opening quarter ever seen in Dublin, Ireland had them all tied up in their prison cells with apparently nowhere to go. Three unanswered tries amounted to a degree of maximum security beyond the wildest Irish dream.
New Zealand teams had been in tight corners before and lived to tell the tale but never, surely, one as tight as this.
They had been losing 21-7 at half-time before, 12 years ago at Lansdowne Road of all places, and still sailed majestically home on a high tide of second-half tries.
This time they were in a fractionally worse predicament and not just because they were a point further behind. Ireland under Keith Wood in 2001 gave it an almighty lash only to collapse long before the end.
This time Ireland under Paul O’Connell had been galvanised as never before, unrecognisable from the woeful effort against Australia the previous week. This time would be like no other time.
The world would be treated to a sight it had never seen before – Ireland beating New Zealand at the 28th attempt.
After one draw and 26 defeats, history was about to take a monumentally overdue step towards evening up the score. Instead the victory of a lifetime vanished like a mirage in the second minute after the clock had turned red.
Nobody ever doubted the capacity of the New Zealander to find an escape route but there would have been none on Sunday had Jonathan Sexton turned that last fateful penalty into the comfort of an eight-point lead with barely time left for one score, never mind two.
Even the All Blacks knew the game would have been up at 25-17 with the sands of time ebbing away. Instead, as head coach Steve Hansen noted, ‘they gave us a sniff’.
The sniff would have meant nothing had Ireland not conceded a penalty with fewer than 30 seconds left on the game clock.
One chance was all they needed to spring their Alcatraz moment and if Ireland were inconsolable at the prospect of a draw, the mind can only boggle at how much worse they felt when Aaron Cruden’s conversion sailed over at the second attempt.
In the euphoric aftermath of the visitors’ dressing-room, the All Blacks sounded as though they couldn’t quite believe their luck. As Cruden put it: ‘You can call that one the great escape’.
Of the many lessons Richie McCaw learnt about the art of how to win tight matches, none has proved more rewarding over the years than the one his then captain, Todd Blackadder, taught him during an early match for Canterbury. McCaw recalled how, from a losing position of 29-12 with 15 minutes to go, he thought ‘the game was over’; how Blackadder assured the rest of the team: ‘We’ll win this, boys’.
McCaw has never forgotten that while there is still time, there is still hope. He calls it belief and while it also helps to be able to play a bit, that unshakeable belief in their collective ability to find a way explains why the heartless history book records that the men in green lost by two points on Sunday afternoon.
For Ireland, that really will take some believing. While the cruel sense of injustice will take some getting over, they had been this way before as have their opponents, time after time.
Close All Black shaves – a few of the closer ones:
June 16, 2012 at Christchurch – New Zealand 22, Ireland 19.
Dan Carter’s last-minute penalty denies the Irish only their second draw, at the very least.
September 9, 2010 at Sydney – Australia 22, New Zealand 23.
The All Blacks are six points down with eight minutes left on the clock when Kieran Read’s try allows Pirri Weepu to fire the winning conversion.
August 22, 2009 at Sydney – Australia 18, New Zealand 19.
Carter’s penalty two minutes from time makes all the difference.
June 23, 2007 at Durban – South Africa 21, New Zealand 26.
The All Blacks are losing going into the last ten minutes when Joe Rokocoko comes to the rescue with a converted try.
June 10, 2006 at Hamilton – New Zealand 34, Ireland 23.
Ireland, 23-15 ahead approaching the hour, are still in the game before falling to a late onslaught.
August 27, 2005 at Dunedin – New Zealand 31, South Africa 27.
The Springboks, three points clear with less than five minutes left, succumb to a Keven Mealamu try converted by Luke McAlister.
July 24, 2004 at Christchurch – New Zealand 23, South Africa 21.
Behind for almost the entire match, the All Blacks win it with a last-minute try from Doug Howlett.
June 23, 1990 at Auckland – New Zealand 21, Scotland 18.
Scotland denied a famous win only by a late barrage of Grant Fox penalties, one awarded after Gavin Hastings had been tackled by Mike Brewer in an off-side position.
November 11, 1978 at Cardiff – Wales 12, New Zealand 13.
The notorious Andy Haden dive from a line-out coincides with the late penalty which substitute full back Brian McKechnie goaled. The All Blacks get home by hook and by crook and Wales have never forgiven them.
November 4, 1978 at Lansdowne Road – Ireland 6, New Zealand 10.
Munster had beaten the tourists earlier that week but lightning was not to strike twice. Tony Ward, hero of the win in Limerick, kicks two penalties but misses two drops and hooker Andy Dalton steals it with the only try, in injury-time.
. The All Blacks’ perfect 14 in 2013:
June 8: beat France (Auckland) 23-0 (T-A Smith, Cane. Cons – Cruden 2. Pens – Cruden 3.) June 15: beat France (Christchurch) 33-0 (T-Savea, B Smith, Barrett. Cons – Cruden 3. Pens – Cruden 3) June 22: beat France (New Plymouth) 24-9 (T-B Smith, Barrett. Con – Carter. Pens – Carter 4). Aug 17: beat Australia (Sydney) 47-29. (T-B Smith 3, Cruden, McCaw, C Smith. Cons – Cruden 3, Barrett. Pens – Cruden 3). Aug 24: beat Australia (Wellington) 27-16. (T-B Smith 2. Con – Taylor. Pens – Taylor 4, Dagg). Sep 7: beat Argentina (Hamilton) 28-13 (T-A Smith 2, Savea. Cons – Carter 2. Pens – Carter 2, Barrett) Sep 14: beat South Africa (Auckland) 29-15. (T-Read 2, Retallick, Cane. Cons – Carter, Barrett 2. Pens – Carter 2, Barrett). Sep 29: beat Argentina (La Plata) 33-15. (T-B Smith 2, Savea, Cane. Cons – Cruden, Barrett. Pens – Barrett 3). Oct 6: beat South Africa (Johannesburg) 38-27. (T-Messam 2, B Smith, Read, Barrett. Cons – Cruden 3, Barrett 2. Pen – Barrett). Oct 19: beat Australia, (Dunedin), 41-33. (T-Savea, Cane, Cruden, Read. Cons – Cruden 3. Pens – Cruden 4, Barrett). Nov 2: beat Japan, (Tokio), 54-6. (T-Piutua 2, Cane, B Smith, McCaw, Halai, Barrett, Thrush. Cons – Carter 5, Barrett 2). Nov 9: beat France, (Paris), 26-19. (T-Piutua, Read. Cons – Carter, Cruden. Pens – Carter 4) Nov 16: beat England, (Twickenham), 30-22. (T-Savea 2, Read. Cons – Carter 2, Cruden. Pens – Carter, Cruden 2). Nov 24: beat Ireland, (Dublin), 24-22. (T-Savea, B Franks, Crotty. Cons – Cruden 3. Pen – Cruden).
