IRELAND may have broken their New Zealand duck in recent years — but Joe McCarthy is fully aware of the All Blacks’ threat.
The sides met at the Rugby World Cup last year with New Zealand denying Andy Farrell’s a first-ever semi-final spot.
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Ireland players Joe McCarthy and Mack Hansen are left devastated after their side’s defeat in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final to New Zealand
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Joe McCarthy is under no illusions of the task at hand against New Zealand
The modern rivalry has seen Ireland claim four wins in their last seven games against the Kiwis. They meet again on Friday at the Aviva Stadium.
The All Blacks lost to Ireland for the first time in their history in 2016 in Chicago.
That famous 40-29 victory at Soldiers Field broke an 18-game New Zealand win streak.
But McCarthy does not want Ireland’s newfound confidence to turn into complacency.
The Leinster lock, 23, said: “Every game starts at 0-0. You need to think that in every game. No matter what opposition you play, you play against 15 top-quality players.
“We’ve built up a good track record the last few years and we’ve earned the right to have a bit of confidence going into games.
“There will obviously be nerves going into a big Test game but we’re confident in what we can do. But we definitely won’t be taking the All Blacks lightly, that’s for sure.”
Since losing the World Cup final 12-11 to South Africa last year, the Kiwis have experienced a changing of the guard.
Talismanic duo Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock have left the back row and Scott Robertson succeeded Ian Foster as head coach.
But McCarthy has no doubts that the All Blacks will be the same nightmare to defend against.
All Blacks legend Zinzan Brooke performed a rousing Haka in a Norwich pub
He warned: “You need to be switched on mentally because they’re dangerous in every aspect. If you leave it short on one side, they’ll rip it down there and punish you.
“It can be a very physical game. You’re almost mentally fatigued coming off the pitch because you’re trying to stay switched on when you’re wrecked.
“That’s probably one of the biggest differences from other teams.
“You’re always switched on and ready for anything – quick taps, quick throw-ins. When they see space, they take it.”
Ireland have learned that the hard way, with the World Cup KO still stinging.
And McCarthy said: “You look back on that game a bit because of it being such a big game and having the chance to put your best foot forward and make history for Ireland.
“It is something that does play on your mind but the beast keeps rolling on in rugby.
“You just have to keep going on and don’t look too far back.”
New Zealand will be battle-hardened for this latest clash, having seen off England 24-22 last Saturday and Japan 64-19 the previous weekend.
McCarthy and his Ireland pals have only recently returned to competitive action with their provinces.
But the lock is unsure if that will be a factor.
He said: “It’ll be interesting to see if it’s better to be battle-hardened going into a game or to be fresher at the start of the season.
“But our guys have played a lot of games in the opening rounds of the URC.
“We pride ourselves as a group to come together as fast as possible. We don’t make any excuses like, ‘It’s the first game’.
“We expect to hit the ground running and we don’t have any excuse for not being cohesive.”
McCarthy is fit to feature on Friday following a hamstring injury.
And he was quick to credit the efforts made to speed up his recovery.
McCarthy added: “I feel fully fit. It’s great! They put on some seriously good training sessions here — they prepare you super well.
“They prepare all these small sessions and then the big one on top as well.”
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