All Blacks v Ireland player ratings: Patrick Tuipulotu grabs chance in Nations Championship win at Eden Park

Saturday, 18 July 2026

ANALYSIS: The All Blacks defended their Eden Park record with a 40-21 win against Ireland on Saturday.

The Sunday Star-Times runs the rule over Dave Rennie’s players.

15 Damian McKenzie: Hit the line at pace and used his footwork to good effect. Looked dangerous almost every time he got the ball and was rewarded with a second-half try. 8

14 Will Jordan: Pounced on one of Ireland’s many mistakes to grab yet another test try, number 51 of his career, and saved a try with a late cover tackle and turnover. 7

Read more:

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• When the All Blacks last lost at Eden Park: 32 facts from 32 years ago

13 Quinn Tupaea: Straightened the line superbly all evening amid growing evidence that his combination with Barrett is growing nicely. A constant handful for Ireland. 9

12 Jordie Barrett: Guilty of an early kicking error but quickly settled into his role as second playmaker, as well as producing a trysaving tackle on Ireland fullback Hugo Keenan. 8

11 Josh Moorby: Ben Smith 2.0 didn’t see a lot of attacking ball but did everything else right. Good under the high ball in an error-free evening. 7

10 Ruben Love: Brilliant 50-22 just before halftime to provide the platform for Asafo Aumua’s important try. Five from five conversions off the tee and took one superb high ball in the backfield despite being tackled illegally in the air. Showed toughness to bounce back from that incident but had to be replaced after 56 minutes. 8

9 Cam Roigard: All Blacks produced a much more balanced tactical game and Roigard’s big left boot was a key part of that. 7

8 Ardie Savea: Decisive and explosive charge off the back of the scrum for the All Blacks’ second try. Also stepped up when Ireland hit back early in second half. 7

7 Luke Jacobson: A reckless cleanout after 27 minutes with the All Blacks hot on attack led to a yellow card that could - or should - have been a red. Arguably cost his side 14 points as Ireland then scored when he was in the sin bin. Reedemed himself with great defensive shift but can count himself a bit lucky. 6

6 Tupou Vaa’i: Two strong runs down the wide channels in the opening quarter as he adapted well to his new role. Busy defensively and was disruptive at the Irish ruck. A promising outing. 7

5 Patrick Tuipulotu: Scored opening try of the test after 14 minutes and was constantly looking to make the hard metres close to the ruck. Dominant tackle on Tadhg Beirne in 39th minute will delight Dave Rennie and Tana Umaga. A big tick for the big lock over his 57 minutes. 8

4 Josh Lord: Won’t grab the headlines but this was arguably his best test. Very industrious and nailed all his core roles. 8

3 Tyrel Lomax: Solid at the set-piece and is heading towards better form and fitness around the field after injury issues in Super Rugby. 6

2 Codie Taylor: Busy with ball in hand but lost one lineout and was forced off due to injury after 30 minutes. 5

1 Ethan de Groot: Enjoyed the edge at scrum time, produced plenty of tackles and showed soft hands at the line when needed. Strong 50 minutes. 8

Replacements:

16 Asafo Aumua: Terrific impact after replacing Taylor after half an hour. Two powerhouse carries led to his try just before the break. 8

17 Xavier Numia: Nailed his role an as impact prop with some heavy carries. 7

18 Fletcher Newell: Made nine tackles in a busy 33 minutes on the field. 6

19 Anton Segner: Used that deceptive power and long stride to keep the All Blacks moving forward. 6

20 Peter Lakai: Thrown on inside the last 10 minutes. N/A

21 Cortez Ratima: On for the last eight minutes only. N/A

22 Anton Lienert-Brown: Solid 13-minute performance off the bench and showed his experience to grab the last try. 6

23 Caleb Clarke: Bright during his 24 minutes on the field and made one big line break. 7