2012 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand

In June 2012, Ireland toured New Zealand playing three Tests against the All Blacks.^[1] The Irish tour was one in a series of tours by northern teams to be hosted by southern hemisphere nations. It was marketed as the 'Steinlager Series'.

2012 Ireland rugby union tour of New Zealand
Coach(es)	Declan Kidney
Tour captain(s)	Brian O'Driscoll
Top test point scorer(s)	Johnny Sexton (19)
Top test try scorer(s)	Fergus McFadden (1) Conor Murray (1)
Summary	P W D L
Total	03 00 00 03
Test match	03 00 00 03
Opponent	P W D L
New Zealand	3 0 0 3
Tour chronology
Previous tour	Australia & New Zealand 2010
Next tour	Canada & USA 2013

In planning the series, it was anticipated that Ireland would also face provincial and Māori opposition, however, to allow Ireland to focus on the Tests, the IRFU decided that there would be no mid-week fixtures.^[2]

New Zealand won the series 3–0. In the third and final Test in Hamilton on 23 June, the All Blacks won 60–0, inflicting upon Ireland their largest-ever defeat.^[3][4]

Test matches

First Test

9 June 2012 19:35 NZST (UTC+12)

New Zealand	42–10	Ireland
Try: Savea (3) 25' c, 37' c, 43' c Thomson 54' m C. Smith 77' c Con: Carter (4/5) 26', 38', 45, 78 Pen: Carter (3/3) 5', 14', 17'	Report[5]	Try: McFadden 48' c Con: Sexton (1/1) 49' Pen: Sexton (1/1) 7'

Eden Park, Auckland Attendance: 47,300 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

FB 15 Israel Dagg RW 14 Zac Guildford  52' OC 13 Conrad Smith IC 12 Sonny Bill Williams LW 11 Julian Savea  64' FH 10 Dan Carter SH 9 Aaron Smith  56' N8 8 Kieran Read OF 7 Richie McCaw (c) BF 6 Victor Vito  46' RL 5 Sam Whitelock LL 4 Brodie Retallick  52' TP 3 Owen Franks  61' HK 2 Andrew Hore  61' LP 1 Tony Woodcock Replacements: HK 16 Hika Elliot  61' PR 17 Ben Franks  61' LK 18 Ali Williams  52' FL 19 Adam Thomson  46' SH 20 Piri Weepu  56' FH 21 Aaron Cruden  64' WG 22 Ben Smith  52' Coach: Steve Hansen

FB 15 Rob Kearney RW 14 Fergus McFadden OC 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c) IC 12 Keith Earls  72' LW 11 Simon Zebo FH 10 Johnny Sexton  57' SH 9 Conor Murray  61' N8 8 Jamie Heaslip OF 7 Seán O'Brien BF 6 Peter O'Mahony  61' RL 5 Donnacha Ryan LL 4 Dan Tuohy  61' TP 3 Declan Fitzpatrick  55' HK 2 Rory Best LP 1 Cian Healy  71' Replacements: HK 16 Seán Cronin  71' PR 17 Ronan Loughney  55' LK 18 Donncha O'Callaghan  61' N8 19 Kevin McLaughlin  61' SH 20 Eoin Reddan  61' FH 21 Ronan O'Gara  57' OC 22 Darren Cave  72' Coach: Declan Kidney

Touch judges: Jaco Peyper James Leckie Television match official: Matt Goddard

• Three players made their full international debut for New Zealand: Brodie Retallick, Julian Savea and Aaron Smith.
• Three players made their full international debut for Ireland: Simon Zebo, Declan Fitzpatrick and Ronan Loughney.

Second Test

16 June 2012 19:35 NZST (UTC+12)

New Zealand	22–19	Ireland
Try: A. Smith 42' c Con: Carter (1/1) Pen: Carter (4/5) 22', 30', 35', 64' Drop: Carter (1/1) 81'	Report[6]	Try: Murray 11' c Con: Sexton (1/1) Pen: Sexton (4/5) 20', 47', 65', 69'

Rugby League Park, Christchurch Attendance: 21,000 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

FB 15 Israel Dagg 71' to 80' RW 14 Zac Guildford OC 13 Conrad Smith IC 12 Sonny Bill Williams LW 11 Julian Savea  73' FH 10 Dan Carter SH 9 Aaron Smith  64' N8 8 Kieran Read  40' OF 7 Richie McCaw (c) BF 6 Adam Thomson  65'  69' RL 5 Sam Whitelock LL 4 Brodie Retallick  64'  65'  69' TP 3 Owen Franks  57' HK 2 Andrew Hore LP 1 Tony Woodcock Replacements: HK 16 Hika Elliot PR 17 Ben Franks  57' LK 18 Ali Williams  64' LK 19 Sam Cane  40' SH 20 Piri Weepu  64' FH 21 Aaron Cruden WG 22 Ben Smith  73' Coach: Steve Hansen

FB 15 Rob Kearney RW 14 Fergus McFadden OC 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c) IC 12 Gordon D'Arcy  51' LW 11 Andrew Trimble FH 10 Johnny Sexton SH 9 Conor Murray  64' N8 8 Jamie Heaslip OF 7 Seán O'Brien BF 6 Kevin McLaughlin  61' RL 5 Donnacha Ryan LL 4 Dan Tuohy  58' TP 3 Mike Ross HK 2 Rory Best LP 1 Cian Healy Replacements: HK 16 Seán Cronin PR 17 Declan Fitzpatrick LK 18 Donncha O'Callaghan  58' N8 19 Peter O'Mahony  61' SH 20 Eoin Reddan  64' FH 21 Ronan O'Gara  51' WG 22 Simon Zebo Coach: Declan Kidney

Touch judges: Romain Poite Pascal Gauzere Television match official: Matt Goddard

• This was Ireland's first Test match in Christchurch.
• Sam Cane made his international debut for New Zealand.

Third Test

23 June 2012 19:35 NZST (UTC+12)

New Zealand	60–0	Ireland
Try: Cane (2) 6' c, 43' c Williams (2) 11' c, 18' c B. Smith 22' m Gear 49' m Messam 57' m Dagg 62' c Thomson 72' c Con: Cruden (2/2) 7', 12' Dagg (1/2) 19' Barrett (3/5) 44', 63', 73' Pen: Cruden (0/1) Barrett (1/1) 40'	Report[7]

Waikato Stadium, Hamilton Attendance: 25,100 Referee: Romain Poite (France)

FB 15 Israel Dagg RW 14 Ben Smith OC 13 Conrad Smith  60' IC 12 Sonny Bill Williams LW 11 Hosea Gear FH 10 Aaron Cruden  23' SH 9 Aaron Smith  60' N8 8 Richie McCaw (c) OF 7 Sam Cane  69' BF 6 Liam Messam RL 5 Sam Whitelock  57' LL 4 Luke Romano TP 3 Owen Franks HK 2 Andrew Hore  43' LP 1 Tony Woodcock  76' Replacements: HK 16 Keven Mealamu  43' PR 17 Ben Franks  76' LK 18 Brodie Retallick  57' FL 19 Adam Thomson  69' SH 20 Piri Weepu  60' FH 21 Beauden Barrett  23' IC 22 Tamati Ellison  60' Coach: Steve Hansen

FB 15 Rob Kearney 40' to 50' RW 14 Fergus McFadden OC 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c) IC 12 Paddy Wallace  54' LW 11 Keith Earls  50'  54'  73' FH 10 Johnny Sexton SH 9 Conor Murray  59' N8 8 Peter O'Mahony OF 7 Seán O'Brien BF 6 Kevin McLaughlin  54' RL 5 Donnacha Ryan LL 4 Dan Tuohy  55' TP 3 Mike Ross  59' HK 2 Rory Best  68' LP 1 Cian Healy Replacements: HK 16 Seán Cronin  68' PR 17 Declan Fitzpatrick  59' LK 18 Donncha O'Callaghan  55' FL 19 Chris Henry  54' SH 20 Eoin Reddan  59' FH 21 Ronan O'Gara  54' WG 22 Andrew Trimble  50'  54'  73' Coach: Declan Kidney

Touch judges: Pascal Gauzere James Leckie Television match official: Matt Goddard

• New Zealand's 60–0 victory was their largest-ever winning margin against Ireland.^[8]
• This remains Ireland's largest ever defeat.
• Beauden Barrett made his international debut for New Zealand.

Touring squad

Ireland's 30-man squad for the three-Test tour of New Zealand. Ireland's initial squad for the clash against the Barbarians was announced on 15 May, no Leinster players were selected due to the RaboDirect PRO12 final.^[9][10] Ireland's 29-man squad for the three-Test tour of New Zealand was named on 21 May. Four additional players were added to the squad.^[11] Tommy Bowe was ruled out of the tour in early April after undergoing surgery to remove a haematoma.^[12] Stephen Ferris was ruled out of the tour due to a calf injury, he was replaced by McLaughlin.^[13] Isaac Boss was ruled out of the tour owing to an ongoing thigh problem, he was replaced by Marshall.^[14] Paul O'Connell was ruled out of the tour after failing to recover sufficiently from a knee injury, he was replaced by McCarthy.^[15] The additional players were Wilkinson and Henry. Loughney was also included to provide cover for Ross.^[16]

Head coach: Declan Kidney

• Caps updated before tour. Ages are as of the first Test on 9 June.

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Rory Best	Hooker	(1982-08-15)15 August 1982 (aged 29)	59	Ulster
Seán Cronin	Hooker	(1986-05-06)6 May 1986 (aged 26)	19	Leinster
Mike Sherry	Hooker	(1988-06-18)18 June 1988 (aged 23)	0	Munster
Declan Fitzpatrick	Prop	(1983-07-12)12 July 1983 (aged 28)	0	Ulster
Cian Healy	Prop	(1987-10-07)7 October 1987 (aged 24)	30	Leinster
Ronan Loughney	Prop	(1984-11-01)1 November 1984 (aged 27)	0	Connacht
Mike Ross	Prop	(1979-12-21)21 December 1979 (aged 32)	20	Leinster
Brett Wilkinson	Prop	(1983-11-29)29 November 1983 (aged 28)	0	Connacht
Mike McCarthy	Lock	(1981-11-27)27 November 1981 (aged 30)	4	Connacht
Donncha O'Callaghan	Lock	(1979-03-24)24 March 1979 (aged 33)	85	Munster
Donnacha Ryan	Lock	(1983-12-11)11 December 1983 (aged 28)	18	Munster
Dan Tuohy	Lock	(1985-06-18)18 June 1985 (aged 26)	2	Ulster
Chris Henry	Flanker	(1984-10-17)17 October 1984 (aged 27)	1	Ulster
Kevin McLaughlin	Flanker	(1984-09-20)20 September 1984 (aged 27)	2	Leinster
Seán O'Brien	Flanker	(1987-02-14)14 February 1987 (aged 25)	19	Leinster
Jamie Heaslip	Number 8	(1983-12-15)15 December 1983 (aged 28)	48	Leinster
Peter O'Mahony	Number 8	(1989-09-17)17 September 1989 (aged 22)	4	Munster
Paul Marshall	Scrum-half	(1985-07-26)26 July 1985 (aged 26)	0	Ulster
Conor Murray	Scrum-half	(1989-04-20)20 April 1989 (aged 23)	9	Munster
Eoin Reddan	Scrum-half	(1980-11-20)20 November 1980 (aged 31)	42	Leinster
Ronan O'Gara	Fly-half	(1977-03-07)7 March 1977 (aged 35)	121	Munster
Johnny Sexton	Fly-half	(1985-07-11)11 July 1985 (aged 26)	29	Leinster
Darren Cave	Centre	(1987-04-05)5 April 1987 (aged 25)	2	Ulster
Gordon D'Arcy	Centre	(1980-02-10)10 February 1980 (aged 32)	68	Leinster
Keith Earls	Centre	(1987-10-02)2 October 1987 (aged 24)	30	Munster
Brian O'Driscoll	Centre	(1979-01-21)21 January 1979 (aged 33)	117	Leinster
Fergus McFadden	Wing	(1986-06-17)17 June 1986 (aged 25)	11	Leinster
Andrew Trimble	Wing	(1984-10-20)20 October 1984 (aged 27)	46	Ulster
Simon Zebo	Wing	(1990-03-16)16 March 1990 (aged 22)	0	Munster
Rob Kearney	Fullback	(1986-03-26)26 March 1986 (aged 26)	38	Leinster

Coaching and management team

Position	Name
Head Coach	Declan Kidney
Team Manager	Michael Kearney

Home squad

New Zealand 30-man squad named for the three-Test series against Ireland. Hika Elliot will train with the squad to provide cover for Keven Mealamu.^[17]

Head coach: Steve Hansen

• Caps updated before tour. Ages are as of the first Test on 9 June.

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Hika Elliot	Hooker	(1986-01-22)22 January 1986 (aged 26)	3	Chiefs
Andrew Hore	Hooker	(1978-09-13)13 September 1978 (aged 33)	62	Highlanders
Keven Mealamu	Hooker	(1979-03-20)20 March 1979 (aged 33)	92	Blues
Wyatt Crockett	Prop	(1983-01-24)24 January 1983 (aged 29)	6	Crusaders
Ben Franks	Prop	(1984-03-27)27 March 1984 (aged 28)	15	Crusaders
Owen Franks	Prop	(1987-12-23)23 December 1987 (aged 24)	31	Crusaders
Ben Tameifuna	Prop	(1991-08-30)30 August 1991 (aged 20)	0	Chiefs
Tony Woodcock	Prop	(1981-01-27)27 January 1981 (aged 31)	83	Blues
Brodie Retallick	Lock	(1991-05-31)31 May 1991 (aged 21)	0	Chiefs
Luke Romano	Lock	(1986-02-16)16 February 1986 (aged 26)	0	Crusaders
Sam Whitelock	Lock	(1988-10-12)12 October 1988 (aged 23)	25	Crusaders
Ali Williams	Lock	(1981-04-30)30 April 1981 (aged 30)	73	Blues
Sam Cane	Flanker	(1992-01-13)13 January 1992 (aged 20)	0	Chiefs
Richie McCaw (c)	Flanker	(1980-12-31)31 December 1980 (aged 31)	103	Crusaders
Adam Thomson	Flanker	(1982-03-13)13 March 1982 (aged 30)	24	Highlanders
Kieran Read	Number 8	(1985-10-26)26 October 1985 (aged 26)	36	Crusaders
Victor Vito	Number 8	(1987-03-27)27 March 1987 (aged 25)	13	Hurricanes
Aaron Smith	Scrum-half	(1988-11-21)21 November 1988 (aged 23)	0	Highlanders
Piri Weepu	Scrum-half	(1983-09-07)7 September 1983 (aged 28)	56	Blues
Beauden Barrett	Fly-half	(1991-05-27)27 May 1991 (aged 21)	0	Hurricanes
Dan Carter(vc)	Fly-half	(1982-03-05)5 March 1982 (aged 30)	85	Crusaders
Aaron Cruden	Fly-half	(1989-01-08)8 January 1989 (aged 23)	9	Chiefs
Tamati Ellison	Centre	(1983-04-01)1 April 1983 (aged 29)	1	Highlanders
Ma'a Nonu	Centre	(1982-05-21)21 May 1982 (aged 30)	66	Blues
Conrad Smith	Centre	(1981-10-12)12 October 1981 (aged 30)	55	Hurricanes
Sonny Bill Williams	Centre	(1985-08-03)3 August 1985 (aged 26)	14	Chiefs
Hosea Gear	Wing	(1984-03-16)16 March 1984 (aged 28)	8	Highlanders
Zac Guildford	Wing	(1989-08-02)2 August 1989 (aged 22)	8	Crusaders
Julian Savea	Wing	(1990-08-07)7 August 1990 (aged 21)	0	Hurricanes
Israel Dagg	Fullback	(1988-06-06)6 June 1988 (aged 24)	12	Crusaders
Ben Smith	Fullback	(1986-06-01)1 June 1986 (aged 26)	2	Highlanders

Coaching and management team

Position	Name
Head Coach	Steve Hansen
Team Manager	Darren Shand

See also

• 2012 mid-year rugby test series
• 2012 Rugby Championship
• History of rugby union matches between Ireland and New Zealand
• Ireland national rugby union team
• New Zealand national rugby union team