Ireland vs New Zealand: The rugby showdown the world wants to see

A year ago, England against New Zealand was the game all rugby fans wanted to watch, but that title now belongs to Saturday’s heavyweight clash between Ireland and the All Blacks in Dublin.

You do not have to be Eddie Hearn or Don King to sell tickets for this one. It pits the two highest ranked teams in the world together and it is rugby’s equivalent of the Rumble in the Jungle. But who knows who will be taking the count?

This time last year, England were flying, having won 22 out of 23 Tests under Eddie Jones — but there was no fixture scheduled against the world champions. Ireland are in the pound seats now.

Jones’s side hit the wall in the Six Nations, although they ran the All Blacks close last week, but events at the Aviva Stadium this weekend will provide more clarity over whether the New Zealanders’ grip on the World Cup can be loosened in Japan next year.

Ireland first played the Kiwis in 1905, losing 15-0 to Dave Gallaher’s ‘Originals’, and have only one win and a draw against the game’s best team in 30 match-ups.

But they fancy their chances this time — and they have got every right to do so, as they are fresh from a Grand Slam and a series win in Australia in the summer.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt’s future is up in the air after next year’s World Cup and a win for the hosts would not be the worst job application for the All Blacks post, which the man from Woodville, on New Zealand’s North Island, is being tipped to claim when incumbent Steve Hansen calls it a day.

The Irish poked the bear in 2013 when only Aaron Cruden’s last minute, re-taken conversion pushed Hansen’s men over the line to a 24-22 win in Dublin.

Then, in 2016, in Chicago of all places, Rory Best and Co — inspired by the excellent Conor Murray — did what Brian O’Driscoll, Jack Kyle and Willie-John McBride failed to do down the years by beating the All Blacks, 40-29, although they went down 21-9 two weeks later in the Dublin rematch.

Scrum-half Murray is not playing this time because of a neck injury, so that heaps more of the spotlight on the battle of the 10s, between Ireland’s Johnny Sexton and his opposite number, Beauden Barrett.

Both are on the shortlist for the World Rugby Player of the Year, which will be announced on November 25 — and the result tomorrow in the Aviva Stadium might just settle the argument.

“They [Sexton and Barrett] are a little bit different,” said Schmidt. “Beauden tends to run a little bit more, because he has that running threat. He tends to be looking for second touches, so he wants to get re-involved after being involved. Johnny is always looking to set up other players and bring other players into the game.

“Beauden does [what he does] because he is such a threat himself — you can’t leave him with any space at all.

“Johnny creates space because of his timing and his acumen. I’m not saying that Beauden Barrett doesn’t have that. I think that it’s just a real strength of Johnny’s.”

Schmidt has made four changes from the side that beat Argentina last week, with Rob Kearney’s expertise under the high ball coming in at full-back after a shoulder injury and Garry Ringrose recovered from a hip injury to slot in at centre.

Connacht’s Kieran Marmion continues to keep Murray’s seat warm, while Dan Leavy returns in the back row and Devin Toner is recalled at lock.

The All Blacks are missing the injured Sonny Bill Williams, who went off last week with a shoulder injury, so Ryan Crotty picks up where he left off after coming off the bench at centre in that 16-15 win over England.

Ominously for the Irish, and the rest of the planet, Hansen says his side are bang on the road to make it three World Cups wins on the spin after their victories in 2011 and 2015.

“We are in a pretty similar situation to where we were in 2014,” said Hansen. “We still managed to win a lot of games and we’re doing the same thing this year. From a Rugby World Cup point of view, we’re on track.”

Williams, who in a past life won the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association Heavyweight championship, might be injured but he has got a ringside ticket to the biggest fight in town this weekend.