By DUNCAN JOHNSTONE - Stuff
Last updated 23:28 12/06/2010
Irish No 8 Jamie Heaslip was facing a searching examination from his management and an IRB judiciary after being sent off for kneeing All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.
The Irish admitted that with Heaslip gone after just 14 minutes and Ronan O'Gara sin-binned soon after they had no chance against a rampant All Blacks side in New Plymouth on Saturday night.
The All Blacks showed no mercy to jump out to a 29-nil lead and eventually a comfortable 66-28 win.
"The All Blacks were in mid-stride at that stage and it didn't help matters. It's difficult enough against them with 15 players," a disappointed Irish skipper Brian O'Driscoll lamented.
O'Driscoll hadn't seen a replay of the Heaslip incident and coach Declan Kidney had only had a brief look at it by the time they fronted the media after the match. Neither wanted to comment until they had run over the tape with a microscope.
With injuries compounding their problems Kidney said they faced a long night.
Heaslip will front the judiciary in New Plymouth at noon on Sunday.
McCaw was similarly reluctant to comment but did confirm he had been kneed.
"He got sent off for a knee. It's before the judiciary and I've been told not to talk too much about it. The issue was dealt with by what the ref saw," McCaw said.
"I guess the disappointing part is it put them under pressure. When they were down to 14 the game was over after that really. But I guess that's what happens - it makes it hard on your team when ill-discipline gets in the way."
O'Driscoll said the Irish had to take the yellow card on the chin after O'Gara had a brain explosion and impeded Cory Jane's chase for a ball with the try line open.
"There can't be any complaints on the yellow card. He pulled Cory Jane back and probably stopped a try. I don't want to get into the fairness of them (the decisions) ... you have to deal with the cards you are dealt."
Ireland are left searching for the first win over New Zealand after 23 attempts. They never looked like it at Yarrow Stadium although they did present some problems to the All Blacks in the second half when Graham Henry emptied his bench.
"It was a bad defeat. But I'm ever positive and you have to take some good things out of this. We showed some bottle in the second half," O'Driscoll said.
Kidney was more concerned with the general discipline of his team, particularly with their defensive systems, than Heaslip's act of thuggery.
"We had to work our way through it the best we could but I think we lost discipline in what we wanted to try to do when we were down a man. Our discipline in our defensive shape wasn't good.
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"We let ourselves down and we will have to take a good look at that."
Kidney was angry with the first half and seemed only slightly happier with the second half revival.
He spoke highly of O'Driscoll's stirring talk at halftime that he believed lifted the team to try to gain some respectability from a forgettable night.
"We were in a fairly dark place. So yes I was pleased with the second half but I wouldn't be running away from the damage we did to ourselves in the first half," Kidney said.
Ireland's night was complicated by a broken arm to blindside flanker John Muldoon.
Kidney said it was likely they would seek a replacement, especially with the back row likely to be reduced further after Heaslip appears before the judiciary.
Ireland have to play New Zealand Maori in Rotorua on Friday night and the Wallabies in Brisbane the following weekend.
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