Ireland coach Andy Farrell said it was a special day for the sport back home and even the country as a whole after his side claimed a stunning 32-22 win over the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday and sealed the three-test series 2-1.
The historic series victory condemned New Zealand to their first back-to-back home defeats in 24 years. Ireland have previously won only three southern hemisphere series, in Australia in 1979 and 2018 and in Argentina in 2014. Read full story
“It’s a special day, isn’t it? A special day for everyone back home, for everyone that’s involved in Irish rugby, for everyone that’s Irish, this is pretty special,” Farrell told reporters.
“I can’t speak enough of these boys. They keep surprising me, they keep turning up and 100% believed in themselves.
“I’m so pleased that it’s been worth every penny for the supporters who were here. It’s a special group of players and they deserve everything they get.”
Farrell said that the team had worked on making sure they were more clinical in the last few matches.
“We managed to keep our composure for what is a tremendous day for everyone.”
“It got a bit loose with the high balls, they were playing wide-wide, but we managed to find a way.”
“That’s what good teams do. That’s what New Zealand have done in the past.”