Ireland are basking in the glory of claiming the scalp of reigning World champions New Zealand.
The 2018 Six Nations Grand Slam winners savoured another red letter day at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, pulling off a sublime 16-9 victory and ending a 113-year wait for a win over the All Blacks on Irish soil.
An unforgettable display from the boys in green was the culmination of a raft of heroic performances across the park – here, we break down the numbers behind a memorable Irish triumph.
Stockdale surges through the All Blacks
With the only try of the game, Ireland winger Jacob Stockdale provided a telling contribution at the Aviva as his side bested the southern hemisphere’s finest.
The 22-year-old, the 2018 Six Nations Player of the Championship, was full of running all evening, driving his team forward time and again.
Stockdale made 76 metres, more than double that of any other Irish player barring Rob Kearney (39) while also bettering the All Blacks’ TJ Perenara (61) and Aaron Smith (56).
Stockdale also beat five defenders, more than any other player on the pitch, with Kearney and New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett each going past four men.
Marmion the pass master
Brought in to deputise for Conor Murray – ruled out with a neck injury – at scrum-half, Kieran Marmion certainly had big boots to fill.
Handed a starting berth against the might of the All Blacks, the 26-year-old was an influential force for Ireland all game, keeping Joe Schmidt’s troops ticking like clockwork.
Marmion racked up a supreme 104 passes, dwarfing both his opposite number Smith , who totalled 56, and his nearest Irish colleague, Johnny Sexton making 35 passes.
Ryan proves insurmountable
Halting New Zealand in their tracks takes some doing, with Ireland becoming the first Test nation from the northern hemisphere to stop the All Blacks from scoring a try since 1995.
At the heart of their defensive efforts was James Ryan, the lock proving a constant thorn in the visitors’ side as he pulled off 20 successful tackles.
Ryan wasn’t the only Ireland player to produce such a gladiatorial display, Josh van der Flier making 16 tackles whilst Garry Ringrose also got through plenty of work, the centre bringing 14 opponents to a standstill.
