A ruthless performance by the All Blacks ensured they completed their home stretch of rugby's inaugural Nations Championship with a perfect record, defeating Ireland 40-21 at Eden Park. With Ireland missing 12 players due to injury, their performance fell short, particularly in attack, which lacked the necessary threat.

Defensively, Ireland struggled, conceding six tries to the All Blacks. Notable scorers for New Zealand included:

• Patrick Tuipulotu
• Ardie Savea
• Will Jordan
• Asafo Aumua
• Damian McKenzie
• Anton Lienert-Brown

Ireland managed three tries from Jack Conan, Joe McCarthy, and Hugo Keenan, narrowing the score to 14-7 late in the first half but failing to secure a bonus point.

The match started with New Zealand quickly establishing dominance. Tupou Vaa'i made a significant impact at blindside flanker, leading to Tuipulotu scoring the first try at 15 minutes. Shortly after, Savea added a second try from a scrum.

Despite a yellow card for Luke Jacobson, the All Blacks continued their offensive, with Jordan capitalizing on an errant Irish pass to score. Aumua extended the lead just before halftime.

Ireland responded with a try from McCarthy, but New Zealand quickly countered with a try from McKenzie. Although Keenan scored another for Ireland, Lienert-Brown closed the match with a final try.

Post-match, Irish head coach Andy Farrell lamented his team's inaccuracies, noting, "You cannot make so many errors against a quality side like New Zealand." Damian McKenzie acknowledged the physical nature of the match, emphasizing the need to adapt to tough competition.