Andy Farrell reflects on disappointing Ireland Loss as home streak ends

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell expressed disappointment following his team’s 23-13 loss to New Zealand, which ended their remarkable 19-match home winning streak at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

Reflecting on the game, Farrell noted that Ireland's performance lacked precision, admitting that "the best side won."

Ireland struggled to find their rhythm, with missed opportunities and errors hindering their ability to respond effectively to New Zealand’s structured and disciplined play.

Farrell described the post-game atmosphere as "sombre," emphasizing the team’s awareness that the streak’s end came amid a subpar performance.

"The dressing room, really, it is pretty sombre. The lads are gutted, we're all gutted together. I thought we prepped well, trained well, I thought we were excited about the game and we were.

"It's a funny old feeling because we don't tend to have it too much in that dressing room. That's life, congratulations to New Zealand.

"We didn't manage to put our game out on the field. Obviously the opposition have a big say in that but I thought we compounded too many errors and almost suppressed ourselves a little bit at times. The accuracy wasn't what was needed to win a big Test match like that."

Looking ahead to their upcoming clash with Argentina, Farrell remains hopeful that the team can recover and refocus. The match against Argentina on Friday offers Ireland a chance to regroup and work on the accuracy and cohesion that eluded them against the All Blacks.

Farrell is focused on reinvigorating the squad and building back the momentum they demonstrated before this unexpected setback.

Ireland’s performance against New Zealand has served as a stark reminder of the consistency needed at the highest level, and Farrell will look to refine both strategy and execution as they prepare to face Argentina, aiming to avoid consecutive defeats and regain their stride.

"We move on, we have to do. We have to find the solutions as soon as we possibly can because we've got a hungry side in Argentina, who are playing some really good rugby at this moment in time, (coming next). We need to get back on the horse and start it all over again."