The All Blacks bounced back from a disappointing second Test to punish Ireland 60-0 in a nine-try blitz at Waikato Stadium on Saturday for a clean-sweep of the series.
A week after snatching an undeserved 22-19 victory from Ireland, the All Blacks were back to their accurate, high-octane, best with new blood to the fore.
Ireland had equal territory and possession in the first half but the All Blacks led 29-0 at the break and then piled on 31 points more in the second half as they feasted on turnover ball.
The praise from both sides was the rare feat of keeping the opposition scoreless.
“A lot of times when you see games with high scores your defence goes but tonight the team showed discipline right through the game to defend well and that’s all credit to them,” said New Zealand coach Steve Hansen.
“We’ve got some talent in the side that can do damage to a lot of teams.”
Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll, who has played the All Blacks 13 times, rated the All Blacks’ performance in the third and final Test of the series as one of the best he has faced.
“They were hurting from last week and they certainly put that right. Being able to keep a team scoreless is pretty impressive,” he said.
“They were dominating the breakdown and that’s the winning or losing of Test matches. They smashed us today.”
The result left the Irish distraught, and their dream of ending the tour on a high with a first ever win over the All Blacks was transformed into a nightmare.
Any fears the All Blacks may have had playing without injured stars Dan Carter and Kieran Read were quickly dispelled, as their fledgling replacements Aaron Cruden and Sam Cane proved to be two of the most influential players.
Cruden made a mockery of Ireland plans to target his channel, with the 23-year-old setting up four tries in the opening 25 minutes before he limped out of the game.
Cane, 20, in only his second Test and playing in the number seven jersey of Richie McCaw who moved to the backrow as Read’s replacement, produced tackling and turnover skills that broke Irish hearts.
Ireland were not without opportunities but inaccurate passing and handling lapses cost them dearly.