Ireland tour of New Zealand schedule: Key dates and venues as Andy Farrell's side face All Blacks

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Andy Farrell

Ireland head off on a summer tour of New Zealand as they aim to bounce back from Six Nations disappointment.

After starting the season with five straight home wins, including victory over the All Blacks in Dublin in November, expectations were high heading into 2022.

Four wins from five in the Six Nations put Andy Farrell's charges in a strong position in the competition, but a crucial defeat in Paris allowed France to win their first Grand Slam since 2010.

Farrell's Ireland are well placed to make a major impact at the 2023 World Cup, and these summer games will lay the foundations for his plans.

MORE: 'Give him the nod': Why David Havili deserves the All Blacks No 12 jersey

Who are Ireland playing on their 2022/23 summer tour?

Ireland will head all the way to New Zealand for their 2022 tour. A five-match trip includes three Tests against the All Blacks in Auckland, Dunedin and Wellington.

It is Ireland's first trip to New Zealand since 2012, and the visitors will want to forget one of the worst nights in their modern history: a 60-0 trouncing in Hamilton.

Ireland have faced New Zealand 33 times in total, winning just three of those matches. They have lost all 12 internationals played away against the Kiwis.

What are the key dates for Ireland?

The Ireland squad have arrived in New Zealand, with a training camp set up in Auckland followed by three Tests against the All Blacks.

Date Time (BST) Time (AEST) Time (ET) Venue Results
Sat, July 2 8.05 a.m. 5.05 p.m. 3.05 a.m. Eden Park, Auckland New Zealnd 42-19 Ireland
Sat, July 9 8.05 a.m. 5.05 p.m. 3.05 a.m. Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin  
Sat, July 16 8.05 a.m. 5.05 p.m. 3.05 a.m. Sky Stadium, Wellington  

New Zealand vs. Ireland lineups, second Test

Sam Whitelock's concussion means a reshuffle in the All Blacks pack, with Blues flanker Dalton Papalii starting at blindside, with Scott Barrett moving into the second row.

Prop Aiden Ross and scrum-half Folau Fakatava will make their debuts if they feature from the bench.

New Zealand lineup: Jordie Barrett, Sevu Reece, Rieko Ioane, Quinn Tupaea, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith; George Bower, Codie Taylor, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Brodie Retallick, Scott Barrett, Dalton Papalii, Sam Cane (c), Ardie Savea.

Replacements: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Aiden Ross, Angus Ta'avao, Patrick Tuipulotu, Pita Gus Sowakula, Folau Fakatava, Richie Mo'Unga, Will Jordan.

Mack Hansen is fully recovered from his positive coronavirus test at the start of the tour and he comes into the back three alongside James Low and Hugo Keenan.

It means there is no place in the 23 for last week's tryscorer Earls, while Ulster hooker Rob Herring is named on the bench.

"There's all sorts of different ramifications that go into selection, sometimes players probably have not performed to the standards they judge themselves on," Farrell said. "To not give people a chance to correct that is sometimes missing an opportunity, so there's a little bit of that." 

Captain Johnny Sexton is fit to start after completing his head injury assessments. The fly-half was substituted at Eden Park

Ireland lineup: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe, Jonathan Sexton (c), Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Kieran Treadwell, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Joey Carbery, Bundee Aki.

What is Ireland's tour record in New Zealand?

Ireland's first tour to New Zealand was in 1976 but it has not been a happy hunting ground for the Irish in the four and a half decades since

Further tours, in 1992, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2012 only deepened the misery, with New Zealand winning all 12 home Tests between these sides.

Ireland reached the quarterfinals of the inaugural World Cup in 1987, which was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia, but they did not face the Kiwis, instead losing to the Wallabies in the last eight. In the 2011 finals, also in New Zealand, they topped Pool C but were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage by Wales.

What is Ireland's current test ranking?

Despite their Six Nations frustration, Ireland's world ranking has not been impacted to a significant degree, and they headed into this run of games in fourth place.

Hosts New Zealand are only narrowly ahead of them in third, behind France and South Africa.

Rugby Union world ranking (as of June 25, 2022)

Rank Team Points
1 South Africa 90.61
2 France 88.88
3 New Zealand 88.75
4 Ireland 88.22
5 England 84.50
6 Australia 83.92
7 Scotland 81.80
8 Argentina 80.58
9 Wales 79.28
10 Japan 78.26

How to watch Ireland's tour of New Zealand

  UK USA Canada Australia
TV channel

Sky Sports

Streaming Sky Sports, Flo Rugby  Flo Rugby Flo Rugby Flo Rugby, Stan Sport

UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports streaming and TV platforms.

USA/Canada/Australia: Streaming is available on Flo Rugby, which is available through the Flo Sports App and Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast & Apple TV.

Viewers can also subscribe to Stan Sport, which offers a free seven-day trial.

Author(s)
Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News.