Rugby: Ireland’s Next Game, Latest Odds and Analysis

Daire Walsh

Following a largely encouraging spring time journey through the Six Nations Championship, Ireland are finally back in the summer series groove and betting sites are ready for it to kick off.

Having seen tours to Australia and Fiji cancelled in the past couple of years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, head coach Andy Farrell will get the chance to test the depth of his squad over the course of a three-game saga with New Zealand in the coming weeks.

An initial duel with the All Blacks takes place at Eden Park in Auckland this Saturday (July 2), before the two sides renew acquaintances at nearby Forsyth Barr Stadium seven days later.

A final test awaits Ireland at Wellington’s Sky Stadium on July 16, but the outcome of their opening two clashes against the southern hemisphere giants will determine what frame of mind they are in for that swan song encounter.

Recent Showdown Whets The Appetite

It was as recently as last November that Ireland played New Zealand on the international stage – an Autumn Nations Series affair at the Aviva Stadium which ended 29-20 in favour of the Irish.

There were signs that the Green Army were starting to get things together under Farrell’s watch and a Triple Crown success in their subsequent Six Nations campaign presented them with a tangible reward.

A single defeat to France – who had also overcome the All Blacks at the tail end of 2021 – was the one blot on their copy book, but bonus point triumphs over Wales, Italy, England and Scotland kept them in contention for Championship honours moving into the final round.

After falling short in their quest to beat them for so many years, Ireland eventually gained the upper hand on New Zealand at Soldier’s Field, Chicago in November 2016.

This was followed by another victory in Dublin in 2019 and last year’s impressive win in front of a packed out Aviva.

Farrell was the assistant coach for the 2016 and 2019 successes, before steering the ship for their 2021 victory. If you count his past involvement with England and the British & Irish Lions, the Wigan native has played a part in five wins over New Zealand.

Odds Against Ireland In First Test

Although this is no mean feat, Ireland are still searching for a first scalp at the expense of the All Blacks in their own backyard and the odds are certainly stacked against them altering this statistic at Eden Park next weekend.

Rugby betting sites are offering 1/6 on New Zealand coming out on top in the first test. By contrast, Ireland are rated as a 4/1 shot to win the game.

Considering their humbling reversal to Ireland in Dublin last November, it is reasonable to assume that Ian Foster’s side will be looking to signal a statement of intent in their first game of the series.

Still, even if New Zealand are always capable of putting any team to the sword in a ruthless fashion, they won’t expect anything easy from an Irish side that maintains scope for improvement.

With this in mind, the odds of 5/1 that William Hill are offering on the All Blacks winning the first test by 6-10 points looks to be an enticing bet.

There is the possibility that the lead could change hands within the game itself, something that has certainly happened in previous meetings between these two nations. At present, there are odds of 11/2 on Ireland leading by between 1 and 5 points at half-time in Saturday’s game.

Given how difficult their past trips to New Zealand have been, it would seem incredibly ambitious of Ireland to be targeting a series win on the other side of the world. Their last tour of the country was back in 2012, which saw Ireland losing all three tests against the then-world champions.

Dan Carter’s stoppage-time drop goal denied them a share of the spoils in the second part of this series, but it was bookended by a miserable 60-0 defeat at the hands of the All Blacks.

While five players from that team – Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray, Keith Earls, Peter O’Mahony and Cian Healy – are still part of the Irish set-up 10 years on, it is difficult to envisage the same gulf in class this time around.

Farrell Set To Test Squad Depth

The three tests against New Zealand aren’t the only games on the tour however, as Ireland will also face the Maori All Blacks on two occasions – this Wednesday (June 29) and July 12.

Farrell has brought an extended squad of 40 players to the southern hemisphere and the intention is for all of them to see game time at some point over the span of five fixtures.

This is good news for the five uncapped players in the squad, who have earned call-ups on the back of impressive form for their provinces.