World closing on All Blacks: O'Connell

Its silly to say a gap is closing when a side posts the first 100% calendar year. By definition if anything its increasing. But you really need to define what the 'gap' actually is. Perhaps its closeness in margins? Every time we hear this the ABs turn into overdrive and the comments are invariably back to the 'ABs first the rest second' talk. The only side that looks like challenging the ABs is the boks and that is because they are making enough changes to their game to address some real deficiencies. But even that won't mean anything until they win one. It could be a hard road before they actually get there, the ABs better at the style of game the boks are trying to achieve so it could be a matter of a step back to take two steps forward. The ABs would probably prefer to play the boks in a more expansive game being better at it though the learning for SA would be more beneficial. But in summary, before talking about any gap closing...get a win first. Otherwise it just sounds silly.

Agreed +10 Tane. Unfortunately, ABs success can bring out some p**s poor responses.

Back to police college pal! He is quite clearly an Australian.

Wow. Nobody actually read the article. Everyones attacking something POC didnt say. Everything POC said is 100% true.

But no team would take 3 points for a penalty infringement with time up on the clock, they'd tap and go. In the context of Reunion, they were talking about resetting the defensive line.

Rambo - that's just sad

The main difference between the ABs and other teams is the ref.

yet thier 60-0 thrashing after doesnt help that cause at all. It just motivates the ABs more next time around.

shoulda coulda woulda at the end of the day ireland lost...

Given that the AB's won their three European games by a combined total of 17 points, when all their so-called 'fans' were saying they would beat England alone by 20-30 points, yes there are grounds for hope. NZ could easily have lost two of the three matches on tour, while in the RC they were only threatened seriously in the one match at Ellis Park. I don't buy the theory that every team plays better against the AB's than they do against everyone else - like everyone else they have weaknesses that can be exploited. They're still the best with daylight back to second place, but by no means unbeatable - so in that sense O'Connell is right. In fact Ireland should probably have beaten NZ twice in their last four matches, including the game at Christchurch in 2012.

tbh I think the Irish panicked when Owens gave that last penalty hence lost it mentally to try and kill the ball but at the same time its hard to defend when the ABs sniffed that opportunity and attacked with desperation and intensity. Thats confidence and belief right there. By that point it was just too much for the Irish to handle. Like many havee said, the ABs just seem to lift to another level when ever they want too You could say Ireland payed the price of going out too hard in the first half and think that they just needed to defend that lead in the second half. Harsh lessons. It may have worked against lesser teams of fellow NH teams but not the ABs or the boks.

you get the feeling by the reaction and manner of the Irish players and fans that they are now better than everyone else just based on this performance. It like watching a mice beating his chest trying to get the attention of everyone else when in fact everyone knws at the mend of the day that this was a one off performance. They have never been able to back up it up even after defeating Australia in 2011. Its all talk.

Stu b and others in the abfan camp, running down OConnell's fair comments here. Define 'graceless' while looking in the mirror. The only thing wrong with the team from NZ is some of the people who support them. Poor comment Stu. Surely not in the class of your team's rugby.

How can an Irishman say they are a very good side,80 minutes against us they played like 22 limp lettuces ,40 minutes of brilliant attacking rugby then nothing on sunday,would need to replay that 40 mins over and over for 24 or 28 consecutive halves in one season before giving yourselves a very good side label

With respect simon,3 minutes to go the allblacks were defending in their half,can't see your logic or am I missing something.

Holy crap, you guys are quite precious about your AB's, aren't you? “Everything becomes a little bit easier sometimes when you have that but nothing lasts forever. “We probably don’t have that feeling yet but, if you look at us on paper, we’re an excellent side.” All this vitriol over that comment? And the rest was all praise of the ABs. Great game, great comeback, but honestly -- Get over yourselves!

The ABs blew it in the first half by trying too much rugby with too little ball. In the second forty normal transmission resumed. It happens quite a bit too often for my liking.

The NZ view is that Ireland blew it as much as the AB's won the game. The ABs in Ireland's position would have gone for a professional foul and given up 3 points and even have a player sent off with 3 minutes to go, rather than losing the match. That's what NZ would have done and that is what Ireland should have done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdAUIf3vK6Q

what do u mean next ten years done you mean next 100 years :)

The gap may be closing but orchids down to how you perform on the day, the Wallabies defeated the Irish, they had no answer but to their credit they dug deep and almost put the ABs to the sword, but rugby is an 80 minute game, you must be an 80 minute team, however in this case an 82 minute teamand totally aware of your discipline, they had it won, then they had a draw but discipline sunk the ship, that is what this game highlighted, you have to be in the game body and soul, the Irish were not and the ABs were, history will record it thus!!!!