Andy Farrell expressed disappointment after Ireland fell to a 40-21 defeat against New Zealand in round three of the Nations Championship. The match saw the All Blacks extend their unbeaten streak at Eden Park to an impressive 53 Tests, scoring four tries in the first half through Patrick Tuipulotu, Ardie Savea, Will Jordan, and Asafo Aumua.

Despite a punishing first half, Jack Conan managed to score for Ireland, with Joe McCarthy and Hugo Keenan adding two more tries in a stronger second half. Sam Prendergast successfully converted all three attempts, but Ireland's earlier wins against Australia and Japan could not save them from a well-deserved defeat.

Farrell lamented the team's inaccuracies, stating, "Inaccurate is the word. Continuity, it just wasn’t flowing for all sorts of reasons." He acknowledged the character shown in previous matches but emphasized that making errors against a quality side like New Zealand is unacceptable.

This match marked Ireland's return to New Zealand since their historic 2-1 tour success in 2022, but they have now lost four consecutive matches against the All Blacks, including the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals. Meanwhile, New Zealand celebrated three consecutive wins under new head coach Dave Rennie, who praised his squad's improved performance.

Key moments included:

• Tuipulotu scoring first after a pass from Josh Lord.
• Savea doubling the lead from a scrum.
• Ireland capitalizing on a yellow card against Luke Jacobson to score through Conan.
• Jordan and Aumua scoring late in the first half to extend New Zealand's lead.

Despite a more competitive second half, Ireland struggled to create further scoring opportunities, with Lienert-Brown sealing the match for the All Blacks. Farrell concluded that the team must learn from this experience as they look ahead to future competitions.