Jul 15, 2026 · 53 min · 10 segments
Chris, Tom and GRO preview the final round of the Nation’s Championship this summer. Can Sam Prendergast cement his position as Ireland's number one fly-half as Andy Farrell's side look to become the…
Tom English
Chris JonesHostGareth Rhys Owen
But Saturday morning, uh, I, I, we, we had, we had exactly this two years ago when, um, we were in New Zealand for the England game, and it was the start of the Scott Robertson regime.
Then they went to Auckland and Eden Park, and we did a big piece with Ian Jones about the record and about the aura of the place.
Um, and you feel, Gro, that because of where New Zealand are, and their regime changes, and the fact that they've just not been themselves for a couple of years, it feels as if this record is spoken about a lot because teams feel they've got a big chance here.
It, it, it also takes me back three years ago, where this would've been the game of the, of the year, wouldn't it?
It would've been north against south, as opposed to, what's the, what's the title of the, uh, um, South Africa? The greatest rivalry.
It would've been the, the freshest rivalry or the, or the newest rivalry, New Zealand against Ireland, a team that knew how to beat the All Blacks.
And perhaps because both sides have dropped off a l- a little bit in recent years, we've s- we've sort of sl- slid slightly towards thinking maybe South Africa against New Zealand's a bigger game, et cetera.
Although, to be fair, if you watch the game in full, Italy were far better for the first 50 minutes than the scoreline suggested.
Um, New Zealand capitalized on opportunities, and they were very slick and efficient.
And the same applies to a certain degree to Ireland, who were made to struggle and work hard and against a, a dogged, hardworking Japanese time.
But, aside, but they're both winning, aren't they? [chuckles] And that in itself is the positive start to the campaign.
They're a strange team, Ireland, right now, you know? They're incredibly resilient.
Even, you know, against Australia, when they were cut open repeatedly in that first half, and you're looking at it, you're going, "Wow, Australia are on a mighty roll here.
They're finding space at will." Line breaks all over the place, tries all over the place, and Ireland end up winning.
I think this represents a real, real danger to New Zealand, who are kind of early on.
But Saturday morning, uh, I, I, we, we had, we had exactly this two years ago when, um, we were in New Zealand for the England game, and it was the start of the Scott Robertson regime.
Then they went to Auckland and Eden Park, and we did a big piece with Ian Jones about the record and about the aura of the place.
Um, and you feel, Gro, that because of where New Zealand are, and their regime changes, and the fact that they've just not been themselves for a couple of years, it feels as if this record is spoken about a lot because teams feel they've got a big chance here.
It, it, it also takes me back three years ago, where this would've been the game of the, of the year, wouldn't it?
It would've been north against south, as opposed to, what's the, what's the title of the, uh, um, South Africa? The greatest rivalry.
It would've been the, the freshest rivalry or the, or the newest rivalry, New Zealand against Ireland, a team that knew how to beat the All Blacks.
And perhaps because both sides have dropped off a l- a little bit in recent years, we've s- we've sort of sl- slid slightly towards thinking maybe South Africa against New Zealand's a bigger game, et cetera.
Although, to be fair, if you watch the game in full, Italy were far better for the first 50 minutes than the scoreline suggested.
Um, New Zealand capitalized on opportunities, and they were very slick and efficient.
And the same applies to a certain degree to Ireland, who were made to struggle and work hard and against a, a dogged, hardworking Japanese time.
But, aside, but they're both winning, aren't they? [chuckles] And that in itself is the positive start to the campaign.
They're a strange team, Ireland, right now, you know? They're incredibly resilient.
Even, you know, against Australia, when they were cut open repeatedly in that first half, and you're looking at it, you're going, "Wow, Australia are on a mighty roll here.
They're finding space at will." Line breaks all over the place, tries all over the place, and Ireland end up winning.
I think this represents a real, real danger to New Zealand, who are kind of early on.
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3 of 7
Springboks' Scary Depth
Tom outlines South Africa's frightening missing lineup
Eden Park Pressure Cooker
Unbeaten Eden Park streak faces Irish threat
Fiji Offload Critique
Tom criticizes Fiji's obsession with offloads today
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