Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said there were “no excuses” for his side’s 23-13 defeat by New Zealand.
Ireland had won their past 19 home games, and had lost just once at Aviva Stadium since round one of the 2019 Six Nations, but they were deservedly beaten in a game where indiscipline and errors were their undoing.
In what was a first game together since their drawn series with South Africa in July, Ireland’s attack in particular offered little throughout.
“There’s no excuses for us. You can talk about all sorts of stuff, rustiness, game-time – there’s no excuse. It is what it is,” Farrell said.
“The opposition, long story short, deserved to win.
“I thought we’d prepped well, trained well, everyone was excited about the game.
“We didn’t manage to put our game out on the field. Obviously the opposition have a big say in that.”
