I spoke to a lot of people before the Test on Sunday morning (NZ time), and I was very surprised at how many people thought the All Blacks were in danger of losing to the Irish. So many people thought that this Irish side was going to be strong enough to out-play our strongest side, and that playing at the famous Croke Park in Dublin would give the Irish all the motivation they needed.

Well, I can honestly say that I was not surprised by what happened during the Test. The first half was always going to be tough, as they always are against the Irish. And if that penalty try had not been given, the scores would have been locked at three all - but I don't think anyone could argue that that wasn't the right call.

The All Blacks always save their best efforts against Ireland for the second half, and this game was no different. Joe Rokocoko set up Nonu for the first try after the break in what was a fantastic move, before Brad Thorn charged over for the second try.

It was inevitable that the All Blacks would push on in the second half, and the Irish would be left wondering what could have been. In all honesty, the All Blacks beat them without even getting out of cruise control - while the Irish never really looked like scoring against the solid defence of the All Blacks.

I like the Irish team, and think they have some really talented players, especially young Luke Fitzgerald - but I still feel they have a long way to go before they can beat the All Blacks. The problem is that they spend far too much time kicking the ball away, and when you're kicking to the likes of Muliaina and Rokocoko, even Sivivatu (who had one of his better games this year), you're always going to be on the back foot - and this Test was no different.

Ireland have the talent to run the ball a lot more, and would pose a greater threat if the did run it, but for some reason when they play the All Blacks they feel the need to kick the ball away - and unfortunately for them, they'll never win with that game plan.

And who ever believed that Ronan O'Gara is a class above Dan Carter? They only need to watch that Test to see the damage Carter can do when he runs the ball. It helps that Carter can tackle, too, while O'Gara is a definite weak point in the Irish defensive line. There are few who even come close to being in Carters league at the moment.

Brad Thorn and Ali Williams had outstanding performances (Williams was named Man of the Match, although I thought Thorn was the stronger of the two), and Ma'a Nonu continued to prove that he is the answer to New Zealand's second-five problem. Rokocoko, too, had a strong performance, and continued to go looking for work rather than staying out on the wing. That seemed to spark Sivivatu into action, as he made some of the strong runs that we've all been waiting for.

The next Test for the All Blacks is against Wales, who shouldn't pose too many issues for the All Blacks. It should be another case of too strong, too fit and too good for the Welsh boys to handle.

But, just before that we've got the game against Munster to look forward to, and it's no surprise that the side named has a few new players getting a run. Scott Waldrom, Jason Eaton and Ben Franks all get their first run of the tour, while Alby Mathewson and Hika Elliot will come off the bench. It's a relatively inexperienced side, but there's still plenty of talent there. Weepu will captain the side, which suggests he'll be rested for the Test against Wales.

Here's the side to play Munster:

Cory Jane, Hosea Gear, Anthony Tuitavake, Isaia Toeava, Joe Rokocoko, Stephen Donald, Piri Weepu (c), Liam Messam, Scott Waldrom, Adam Thomson, Jason Eaton, Ross Filipo, Ben Franks, Corey Flynn, Jaime Mackintosh.

Reserves: Hikawera Elliot, John Afoa, Brad Thorn, Kieran Read, Alby Mathewson, Richard Kahui, Mils Muliaina.

According to one Irish newspaper, the All Black's are the most hated side in rugby - and that the only people that love them are us New Zealanders. We're not sure about where they got their facts from, though, because the All Blacks are known for their wide appeal across the world, especially in the UK. Why else would they get 50,000 people to the game against Scotland?

It certainly wasn't just to watch the Scots.

The Irish may 'apparently' hate us (and chances are they won't like us much after the weekend, either), because they are about to face to the strongest possible All Blacks side - Henry has has chosen a full strength side for the second Test of the Grand Slam tour.

The Irish will definitely prove to be a tougher Test than the one against Scotland, but like the Scots they have yet to taste victory against the mighty All Blacks - and once again the All Blacks should prove to strong.

Mils Muliaina returns to the team after missing the first part of the tour to be at home with his new born son Max. Toeava has done a fantastic job filling in, but when Muliaina is available you pick him - after all he is, in our opinion, the best fullback in the world. Toeava will move to the bench, where he can cover a whole range of positions.

Joe Rokocoko has retained his place on the wing after an impressive return to Test rugby last week. He looked to get involved wherever he could, and it was certainly enough to secure one of the wing births. His cousin Sivivatu will return to the other wing after a week off - maybe the return of Joe can shake Sivivatu up a bit, and help him get back to the form we know he's capable of.

In the forwards Tony Woodcock, Brad Thorn, Rodney So'oialo and Jerome Kaino all make their way back to the team after resting against the Scots. Ali Williams will play his third game on tour, while Richie McCaw and Neemia Tialata return to the starting lineup.

It doesn't get much stronger than this, and the Irish will need to be on top of their game if they want to avoid a thrashing. They did perform well earlier in the year, but this is an All Blacks side that has grown since then, and should prove far too strong. It doesn't help that Ireland have only had a Test against Canada as a warm up to the main event...

This is one game where the Irish will need all the luck they can get.

Here are the full teams:

All Blacks: Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Sitivini Sivivatu, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Rodney So'oialo, Richie McCaw (C), Jerome Kaino, Ali Williams, Brad Thorn, Neemia Tialata, Kevin Mealamu, Tony Woodcock.

Reserves: Corey Flynn, John Afoa, Anthony Boric, Kieran Read, Piri Weepu, Stephen Donald, Isaia Toeava.

Ireland: Girvan Dempsey, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll (C), Luke Fitzgerald, Robert Kearney, Ronan O'Gara, Thomas O'Leary, Jaime Heaslip, David Wallace, Alan Quinlan, Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan, John Hayes, Rory Best, Marcus Horan.

Reserves: Jerry Flannery, Tony Buckley, Stephen Ferris, Shane Jennings, Eoin Reddan, Paddy Wallace, Kieth Earls.

Conditions couldn't have been worse for the All Black's opening clash against the Irish on Saturday night - wet, windy and freezing temperatures meant that anyone hoping for an expansive game (yup, that was us...) was in for a disappointing night.

What we got, though, was anything but disappointing, as the All Blacks and Ireland fought it out in the miserable conditions.

As the rain began to fall it became clear that it was going to be a night for the forwards to show their skills, and both packs did just that. The All Blacks were up against a solid Irish pack (7 out of the 8 were part of the Munsters pack that won the Heineken Cup), and it was obvious they had their work cut out for them...

...but they stood up in fantastic fashion, and dominated the forward battle - their pick-and-go was some of the best we've seen in some time. They completely controlled the ruck, and kept the Irish on defence for much of the game.

They also dominated the Irish scrum (Tialata stood up to play his best game in a black jersey), and had the edge in the lineouts too, which was unexpected against the likes of Paul O'Connell and Donnacha O'Callaghan. The All Blacks managed to win 4 against the throw - well done lads, a fine effort.

Richie McCaw was outstanding in defence, leading from the front and causing trouble for the Irish around the ruck. While many have been questioning his captaincy skills lately, his workload on the field is fantastic. And, he's just signed on to stay in New Zealand until the end of 2011 - first Dan Carter, and now Richie...2011 is shaping up quite nicely.

Rodney So'oialo looked at home in the number six jersey, and had an impressive work rate around the field. Jerome Kaino was quiet, although the conditions didn't help his running game. If we get dry conditions in Auckland, we'll be able to see him at full effect...goodie.

Adam Thomson had limited game time off the bench, and was unfairly penalised for collapsing the maul - one of the most stupid laws in rugby? We agree.

The Irish forwards had to work hard on defence all night, and towards the later stages of the game it began to tell.

They were out-shone in the scrum and lineouts by a more determined All Black pack, and when they used the ball...well, they looked good, but as so often happens in Northern Hemisphere rugby, they spent too much time kicking the ball away. Don't get us started...

It's no wonder the Northern team's don't want the new laws brought in - they don't like running the ball! Oops, we started...

To Ireland's credit they played a solid game, and were still in it at 11-11 with about twenty minutes to go. Once Nonu scored, they really did fade away - chasing the All Blacks is never easy, and it's something Ireland have always struggled to do.

If they can build from their loss, though, they might be able to give the Aussies a run for their money. We hope.

The backs never really got going (can't blame them, really, with the weather the way it was), although the two times the All blacks did attack they scored tries. Conrad Smith set up the first of them after a fantastic line break, leading to Sitivini Sivivatu scoring in the corner - it was his 22nd try in 22 Tests. Not bad.

Dan Carter made a break in the second half that led to Ma'a Nonu sliding over for the All Blacks second try of the night. It was a good team try, John Schwalger showing some terrific handling skills to offload a pass to Nonu.

Paddy Wallace scored Ireland's only try of the night, which was really thanks to the All Blacks terrible kickoff work. It let them down a couple of times, and needs to be remedied in the coming weeks.

The second half was dominated by the sound of Chris White's whistle (didn't he just love the sound of it?). He made some simple errors, and turned the second half into a stop start affair - not what you need when the weathers doing a good enough job of that already. Referees at this level should be of a higher standard than what we're seeing - White missed some pretty basic calls, and made others that were, quite simply, wrong. The All Blacks would be better off if they never saw an English ref again...

The sooner the new laws are introduced to Tests, the better. Faster, attacking rugby is better rugby. Try disagreeing with that - we dare you.

Over all, it was a solid start to the All Blacks campaign in 2008. Despite the miserable playing conditions, they ground out a tough win against a solid opponent. They still have plenty to work on for the English Test on Saturday, but as far as wins go - we'll take it.

England have not had the best run since the World Cup (losing to Scotland in the Six Nations?? We needn't say more...) but like so many other sides, they seem to step up against tough opposition. The All Blacks will have to be on top of their game, but if they are, and if their backs can get going...it could be a long night for the Poms, and not nearly long enough for us.

The All Blacks begin their 2008 Test season this Saturday, beginning against the Irish in Wellington.

Both teams were announced yesterday, and it really is shaping up to be a great Test. The All Blacks will want to start their season off with a bang, and Ireland will be looking to make history by beating the new-look All Blacks - a draw in 1973 is as close as they've been.

Graham Henry has chosen to go with as many Super 14 combinations as possible, which will (he hopes...) help gel the team together. It's still early days yet, but we think we'll see the coaches play around with a few different combinations - it'll take some time for the players to familiarise themselves with one another.

Crusaders teammates Andy Ellis and Dan Carter (yes folks, he's here 'til 2011), make up the halves, with Hurricanes midfielders Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith playing outside them in the centers.

With Conrad getting the nod at center, Mils Muliaina returns to fullback - forcing Leon MacDonald to the bench. Add Anthony Tuitavake (making his debut) and Sitivini Sivivatu to the backline, and the All Blacks have themselves a very attacking force.

Ireland - and England, for that matter - should be nervous.

The biggest change sees Rodney So'oialo move from his traditional position of number 8 to the blindside, replacing his long-time teammate Jerry Collins. This makes way for Jerome Kaino to return to the All Blacks after missing out on the squad last year, and it seems that the coaches have gone for the old 'smash-em-up-the-middle' approach.

Ali Williams will team up with Brad Thorn in the locking department, and they should be pretty used to that by now. They've been the two standout locks in the Super 14 this year, and they rightly deserve their selections. The fact that they are both veterans now only adds to their worth in the team.

It's a new-look front row, with Anton Oliver and Carl Hayman both in Europe, and Tony Woodcock injured and therefore unavailable for the Irish Test. This means John Afoa and Neemia Tialata will start at prop, while in-form hooker Andre Hore seals his place in the starting 15. They'll have their work cut out for them - the Irish pack has quite a formidable feel.

Anthony Boric, Adam Thomson and Stephen Donald will all make their debuts off the bench, topping off their fantastic Super 14 campaigns - good luck lads!

Here's the line up:

1. John Afoa
2. Andrew Hore
3. Neemia Tialata
4. Brad Thorn
5. Ali Williams
6. Rodney So'oialo
7. Richie McCaw (c)
8. Jerome Kaino
9. Andy Ellis
10. Dan Carter
11. Anthony Tuitavake
12. Ma'a Nonu
13. Conrad Smith
14. Sitivini Sivivatu
15. Mils Muliaina

Reserves: John Schwalger, Kevin Mealamu, Anthony Boric, Adam Thomson, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald, Leon MacDonald.

Ireland have also named their starting lineup for the Test on Saturday, including 8 players from the Champion Munster team and Brian O'Driscoll as captain.

Glad Tana isn't there, Brian?

Heres their starting 15:

1. John Hayes
2. Jerry Flannery
3. Marcus Horan
4. Paul O'Connell
5. Donncha O'Callaghan
6.Denis Leamy
7. David Wallace
8. Jaime Heaslip
9. Eoin Reddan
10. Ronan O'Gara
11. Tommy Bowe
12. Luke Fitzgerald (if he gets over an ankle injury in time)
13. Brian O'Driscoll (c)
14. Shane Horgan
15. Robert Kearney

Reserves: Girvan Dempsey, Paddy Wallace, Peter Stringer, Shane Jennings, Mick O'Driscoll, Tony Buckley, Rory Best.