Ireland vs New Zealand: Dublin awaits latest hit of rivalry

The message has been clear from Ireland all week: when they face the All Blacks on Friday, revenge will not be on the menu.

Hugo Keenan said it last week from the pleasant climes of the Algarve, Ireland's second home, and Andy Farrell repeated it when he spoke to reporters in Dublin on Wednesday.

And while most of the Ireland camp would insist they have moved on from last year's agonising World Cup quarter-final loss in Paris, Tadhg Beirne felt moved to admit that his dreams are still haunted by the experience. Proof, as if it were needed, that the pain remains.

For Ireland, Friday's match - regardless of the result - cannot banish the hurt that hit them like a hammer when, after 37 increasingly desperate phases, their World Cup was ended by Sam Whitelock's match-winning penalty for the All Blacks.

To exorcise the ghosts of Paris, they must wait until 2027.

Friday, however, at least gives the world's number one side the chance to regain the upper hand in a rivalry that has transfixed the rugby world in recent years.

Indeed, it is a rivalry that has produced a string of memorable fixtures across the globe.

There has been Irish ecstasy in Chicago and Wellington, the scenes of Ireland's first win and first series triumph over the All Blacks, mixed with Kiwi joy in Tokyo and Paris, where they condemned the green machine to sixth and seventh World Cup quarter-final exits.

There have been stunning individual tries, from Jacob Stockdale's chip-and-chase setting Lansdowne Road alight in 2018, to Ardie Savea's stunner in Auckland in 2022.

It has brought pure emotion to the surface, too, from Peter O'Mahony sobbing euphorically in Wellington to Johnny Sexton staring into the abyss in Paris.

And like any good rivalry, it's seen its fair share of needle, with Sexton and Rieko Ioane's Paris spat ratcheting up the tension for this week.

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Farrell said too much has happened since the World Cup for Ireland to dwell on disappointment.

He's not wrong. This year, Ireland retained their Six Nations title and earned a series draw in South Africa thanks to an enthralling 25-24 win over the world champions in the second Test in Durban.

Much has changed for Farrell, too, having been confirmed as British and Irish Lions head coach for next year's tour to Australia.

Farrell will get a good look at Joe Schmidt's Wallabies in Dublin on 30 November, but for now, his mind has been fixed on another dance with the All Blacks.

Even with the knowledge that this is his last block of Ireland games for a year, Farrell has resisted the urge to experiment.

His line-up features 10 of the 15 that started in Paris while his backline has been strengthened by the return of Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and Jamison Gibson-Park, all of whom missed the South Africa tour.

There is experience on the bench, also, with three Test centurions in Cian Healy, Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray, while Iain Henderson isn't too far behind them.

The obvious Irish absentee is Sexton. The iconic fly-half is now working as a consultancy coach for Ireland but he will not be with the team on Friday. It is, therefore, a big night for Jack Crowley and the same can be said for Finlay Bealham, who replaces the injured Tadhg Furlong at tighthead prop.

Ireland's scrum faltered in Paris a year ago. Without Furlong and first-choice hooker Dan Sheehan, it will face another stiff test on Friday, even against an All Black front row lacking the power of Ethan de Groot and Codie Taylor.

Of course, De Groot and Taylor are not the only players missing from a New Zealand side in transition at the end of a gruelling first year under Scott Robertson.

Owing to a mix of retirements, injuries and overseas transfers, Robertson is also without Whitelock, Beauden Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Aaron Smith and Richie Moâ€TMunga.

They, too, have absorbed a great deal of pain in the last year. They lost the World Cup final to South Africa by a point, have suffered three defeats this year and were an accurate George Ford kick away from leaving Twickenham with another last week.

But they still possess some exceptional players. In Will Jordan and Mark Tele'a - who missed the World Cup game for disciplinary reasons - they have two of the most devastating finishers in the game. Caleb Clarke, who this week revealed his Irish roots , doesn't have a bad strike-rate either.

Damian McKenzie - Barrett's replacement at fly-half - does not always convince at 10 but clearly has big-game mettle, as evidenced by his nerveless match-winning sideline conversion against England.

Then there is the back row, which contains hugely exciting flanker Wallace Sititi and the reigning world player of the year Savea, who played out of his skin in Paris a year ago.

Last but not least, Ioane starts at 13. He's likely to be the pantomime villain at the Aviva. Not that this rivalry needs one. It's more compelling than ever and will have the watching world in its thrall all over again on Friday.