Ireland's hopes of a memorable day in America were dashed as they fell to their biggest-ever defeat by New Zealand, 26-13, in the Quilter Nations Series rematch at Soldier Field. Having suffered the first ever loss to Ireland in this fixture back in 2016, the All Blacks proved to be far more formidable than expected and showed no signs of being undercooked.
Ireland's first half was marred by lengthy stoppages due to television match official (TMO) reviews, which included a contentious incident that led to Tadhg Beirne receiving an early red card. Ireland's discipline faltered as they struggled to cope with the All Blacks' physicality and tactical superiority. The Irish pack was exposed on several occasions, allowing New Zealand to dominate possession and territory.
Despite showing initial signs of life when opening try scorer Stuart McCloskey combined with Tadhg Furlong for the first score of the game, Ireland's lead was short-lived as New Zealand fought back through Ardie Savea. The score remained at 10-6 until halfway through the second half when Jack Crowley's penalty nudged Ireland in front.
However, that proved to be a fluke moment and New Zealand ultimately reasserted their dominance with three further tries from Tamaiti Williams, Wallace Sititi, and Cameron Roigard. The last of these came with just three minutes remaining, leaving Ireland reeling as the All Blacks celebrated a resounding victory in front of a lively Chicago crowd.
Ireland will have to pick themselves up quickly ahead of next week's Dublin Test against Japan before hosting Australia and South Africa. For New Zealand, this win secures their third successive victory over Ireland and sets them on course for a Grand Slam of the northern hemisphere.
Ireland's first half was marred by lengthy stoppages due to television match official (TMO) reviews, which included a contentious incident that led to Tadhg Beirne receiving an early red card. Ireland's discipline faltered as they struggled to cope with the All Blacks' physicality and tactical superiority. The Irish pack was exposed on several occasions, allowing New Zealand to dominate possession and territory.
Despite showing initial signs of life when opening try scorer Stuart McCloskey combined with Tadhg Furlong for the first score of the game, Ireland's lead was short-lived as New Zealand fought back through Ardie Savea. The score remained at 10-6 until halfway through the second half when Jack Crowley's penalty nudged Ireland in front.
However, that proved to be a fluke moment and New Zealand ultimately reasserted their dominance with three further tries from Tamaiti Williams, Wallace Sititi, and Cameron Roigard. The last of these came with just three minutes remaining, leaving Ireland reeling as the All Blacks celebrated a resounding victory in front of a lively Chicago crowd.
Ireland will have to pick themselves up quickly ahead of next week's Dublin Test against Japan before hosting Australia and South Africa. For New Zealand, this win secures their third successive victory over Ireland and sets them on course for a Grand Slam of the northern hemisphere.
But sometimes it feels like that's all you need when your team is struggling like Ireland's was today! 
They gotta dust themselves off, get their mojo back, and come out swinging against Japan next week. Can't let those All Blacks have all the fun 
!
what's goin' on with Ireland's rugby team?? They're gettin' absolutely thrashed by these Kiwis! 
I mean, I know they had some tough opponents last year but 26-13 is just brutal 
. And that red card was a huge mistake for Tadhg Beirne, what a bummer 
. I'm still tryin' to wrap my head around how they let it slip away, especially with that fluke moment where Jack Crowley scored 
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what's wrong with Irish pack? they were gettin smashed by Kiwis all game long! 
TMO reviews are just an excuse, you can't let that get in your head during game. They should've played more aggro & stuck to their set pieces instead of tryin to outmuscle it with the big boys 
they just cudnt handle the physicality & tactics of the all blacks 
and now they gotta bounce back from dis loss for the dublin test vs japan 
. It's not like they were even trying to win from there on out... I mean, who needs 13 points with a man down? 
Anyway, big congrats to the All Blacks for their dominating performance 
. Looks like Ireland's gonna have to step up their game if they wanna beat anyone next week 
and that beirne red card was a turning point for the game, had ireland managed to avoid that stoppage, things might've been different 
and let's be real, ireland's pack is just getting destroyed by nz's physicality 
and how amazing the food scene is there!!! i went to that new deep dish joint in wicker park and it literally blew my mind 
i swear if i ever make it to a match live i'll be dancing like a kapa haka girl 
my heart can't even handle how badly ireland got destroyed 
those all blacks are like a well-oiled machine they just dismantled ireland's defense so easily 
it's like they just got outsmarted and outmaneuvered by new zealand's physicality and tactics 