Wow, that was close. Ireland were all but written off this week following their first test humbling but they came close to a famous triumph tonight in Christchurch.

This was a real test for Hansen's men and there will be a lot of relieved faces in the changing room.

McCaw has just expressed his relief in a post-match interview. O'Driscoll, whose face is just as bloodied as the AB skipper, expresses his pride in the Irish effort and their massive turnaround in seven days.

"We let the jersey down," a stunned-looking O'Driscoll opines.

"We had them in trouble but the scoreline still shows we lost."

The Irish pack set the platform. They were the more effective side at the breakdown and, remarkably, their scrum was right on top over the last 15min.

Although the All Blacks have just secured this series, suddenly there is a heck of a lot more interest in it. The Hamilton test will be a dead rubber but there will be no shortage of interest if Ireland can bring the same fire and commitment.

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FULLTIME: NZ 22 Ireland 19

80: No they can't. McCaw wins the kickoff and the ruck ball is kicked into touch. A mixture of relief and delight from the hosts as Owens gives an extra peep on his whistle.

80: DROP GOAL CARTER. NZ 22 Ireland 19.

It's third time lucky for the great Kiwi No 10, who puts his team in front with a flat left-foot effort under pressure from charging defenders. There's still 30sec left on the clock - can the visitors strike back?

79: AB 5m scrum, just to the right of the right upright. Can they snatch a late win? McCaw takes it off the back and the ball sails back to Carter in the pocket...

77: Whitelock wins and SBW puts his head down and barges. Smith and McCaw carry it forward, as does a spinning Hore as NZ get to within 30m of the tryline. Will Carter try another droppie? McCaw makes big metres and they're 7m out. ABs keeping it tight now, there's just 90sec left on the clock as the forwards keep it to themselves. It goes back to Carter but it's a poor pass from Weepu and Carter scrambles an ineffective drop goal attempt. Turns out it was partially charged by Irish hooker Best so NZ get a fortunate 5m attacking scrum.

76: Front rows go down. Franks seems to be under pressure- he'll have to be careful not to infringe here. Another big Ireland scrum but they're penalised for wheeling. Collective sigh of relief from the home ground as Carter clears to 40m out from the visitors' line.

75: Ireland win the lineout and spread it right but the ball is spilled. Relief for the All Blacks, who will feed it, 35m from their own line. You cut the tension with a knife.

74: The kick is short and Weepu clears to touch. Ireland throw in 40m out, against a 14-man All Blacks side for the rest of the match. Savea is replaced by Smith, who will fill in at the fullback berth.

72: Ireland kicks deep and Dagg responds. The AB No 15 follows through in dangerous fashion, taking out Ireland fullback Kearney with his shoulder as he kicked. Brain explosions from Dagg, bit of a hollywood from Kearney but he's entitled to milk that. Dagg is sent to the sin-bin and Sexton will take a long shot, from 50m on the angle.

71: Another good Ireland scrum, but it's to be reset. Ireland marching forward in the next scrum as Reddan darts through a half-gap. Slow ball on halfway but Ireland are happy just to have possession, which it has to be said they have dominated in the second half.

69: NZ kick deep and Reddan bombs away. Dagg spills it and it's an Ireland scrum, just inside their half. Thomson is back on the park after his snozz was sorted.

68: PENALTY SEXTON. NZ 19 Ireland 19.

It's all square with 12min to play. What a finish looms! Are we watching history in the making. Remember, Ireland have drawn with the All Blacks before but they've never beaten them.

67: Ryan wins the lineout and O'Driscoll busts through SBW's tackle. Quick ball for the men in green, who are playing like men possessed. Penalty given away by Williams for taking out Ireland reserve halfback Reddan. A frustrated Williams is caught up in pushing shoving after the event too - giving away an extra 10m. Sexton could throw this over from staight in front.

66: Williams wins the lineout and Weepu drifts a kick out, 40m from the NZ line.

65: The two fresh players combine well after Ireland box kick. Weepu puts Williams away down the blind. However, the ABs muck up the subsequent play - another handling mistake by McCaw - and Ireland counter. Sexton is put in the clear by O'Gara but he can't link up. He grubbers ahead and the ABs are throwing in just 15m from their line. Thomson is being treated for a heavy knock to the nose that has drawn blood. Replays show a head clash with Heaslip caused this. He's getting replaced - probably temporarily - by big Retallick, who's back on. Whitelock will probably go to the blindside flank.

65: Two AB changes - Ali Williams on for lock Brodie Retallick and Piri Weepu for halfback Aaron Smith.

64: PENALTY SEXTON. NZ 19 Ireland 16.

63: Big moment here. Big Irish scrum - the first time in this series they've got the wood on the ABs there - and Franks is penalised for going down. Good psychological blow from the men in green, who won the hit there. Sexton from 30m out, straight in front, shouldn't miss.

61: McCaw with a slight knock-on from this kickoff and Ireland get a scrum 40m out.

60: PENALTY CARTER. NZ 19 Ireland 13.

A bit of breathing space for NZ as we go into the final quarter. Still plenty of tension out there. Carter's landed five from six so far tonight.

59: Deep Irish drop out and the All Blacks counter effectively. Carter, Guildford and Aaron Smith link well before Franks charges close. Ireland penalised before a scuffle breaks out. Whitelock and NZ heavyweight boxing champ SBW have ruffled some Irish feathers before things settle down. Owens speaks to both captains but it was pretty minor stuff. Carter steps up for a close-range shot...

58: Good lineout win by Retallick as the ABs launch a drive. Guildford accepts a short Smith pass before McCaw and Hore march the pill over the advantage line. Another strong burst by Cane - he's looked good since getting out there - before Carter attempts a drop kick! It's a shonky effort which wobbles under the cross bar. It's a rare Carter droppie attempt and an indication that his attacking options aren't plentiful tonight.

56: Ireland win yet another lineout but they are penalised for a technicality when forming a maul. Relief for the ABs as Carter clears to 40m out from the Irish line. All Blacks change here as prop Ben Franks comes on for brother Owen.

55: Tuohy wins the lineout and O'Driscoll breaks superbly over the advantage line. O'Brien makes a good run too and the Irish have a second wind. Ireland charge over the 22 through Ryan - the All Blacks are doing well to hold their discipline at the breakdown as the heat comes on. O'Gara is lowered in a good tackle from Cane and the ball is turned over nicely by Guildford. Dagg clears to 30m out. Ireland are looking the better team again - McCaw's men are well under the pump. Injury break as impressive Irish lock Ryan gets treatment.

54: McCaw, who's packing down at No 8, feeds Aaron Smith, who puts a long kick out on the full - just - it hit the line. Ireland throw-in, 40m out.

53: Prop Cian Healy flies onto a short pass from Murray but loses it forward. AB defensive scrum, 30m out.

52: Cane is penalised from the scrum for breaking too early. Sexton hoicks it down to within 37m of the AB line. This remains a tough, tight test and - aside from that sloppy first play after halftime - Ireland are far from lying down.

51: Free kick against Ireland from this scrum and the ABs tap and go. They look good through some fast phases before McCaw loses the ball in the tackle. Certainly not an error-free night from the great No 7. Bad outcome here for Ireland as the impressive D'Arcy limps off, replaced by O'Gara. Sexton is forced out to 12. D'Arcy brought a staunchness to the green back division that was missing at Eden Park.

50: Runner repairs for Best before his opposite, Hore, throws successfully to Whitelock. Thomson breaks blind before Carter sends it wide to the right. Guildford grubbers but Ireland win it back so Murray box kicks. The ABs can't win it from the subsequent maul and they'll feed the subsequent scrum near the right touch, just inside the NZ half.

48: O'Brien and Ryan barrell it up from the lineout win and the pack keeps it tight with a series of pick-and-goes to within 20m of the tryline - bit by bit. Now Ireland go wider and there are some nice runs from O'Driscoll and prop Healy before possession is lost. Dagg rifles it deep before Trimble clears off the side of his boot. Big NZ net gain, who will throw just inside the Irish half. Quite good multi-phase sequence for the Irish before that.

47: Decent break while the medicos do their thing before Sexton clears to 35m out from the NZ line.

47: Carter goes short but Ireland win it for once. In fact McCaw is penalised for climbing into D'Arcy's back. The skipper's given away his share of penalties tonight. Both O'Driscoll and D'Arcy - the Irish midfield - are down getting treatment. D'Arcy for the McCaw knee in the back and O'Driscoll after being subsequently kneed by a team-mate at the ruck.

46: PENALTY SEXTON. NZ 16 Ireland 13.

45: All Blacks win the kickoff but it's knocked on badly by McCaw. Ireland win a penalty soon afterwards and Sexton will step up from 20m out, nearly straight in front. Meanwhile, news on Read, he's out for the match after taking a head knock. More loose forward issues too as Thomson gets treatment. He struggles back into position but doesn't look to sharp.

44: CONVERSION CARTER. NZ 16 Ireland 10.

From the right-hand touchline.

43: TRY AARON SMITH. NZ 14 Ireland 10.

Ball clearly grounded so the wee halfback bags his first test try. An important one too, capping a brilliant start to the second spell for the ABs and possibly swinging momentum their way big time.

Lazy re-start from the Irish, who will be kicking themselves.

41: Ireland muff the short kickoff and Aaron Smith bursts forward. SBW pops an offload and this is a great start to the half for the hosts - including Cane making 2-3 solid charges. SBW charges within 1m and then the pack drive over. Referee Owens is going upstairs. Aaron Smith emerges with the ball and he looks confident but he needs a call from the TMO in his favour...

Both teams are trotting back out, rubbing their hands in the cold.

Well, well, there's one AB change. Flanker Sam Cane is on the park for Kieran Read - arguably the best AB on the park in the first spell.

Huge moment for the youngster. Unclear if it's a blood bin or if Read is gone for good. We'll find out.

HALFTIME: Ireland 10 NZ 9

And in one of the shortest interviews you'll ever see, Kieran Read tells the Sky TV interviewer that the All Blacks have to work on their breakdowns, where the Irish are stealing possession or winning penalties.

Probably a fair assessment from the future AB skipper, although it has to be said both sides are struggling in that department, meaning the game ain't a great spectacle as quick ruck ball has been infrequent.

The lack of flow is suiting the Irish, who will be a stubborn beast to break down in the second 40m.

Can they hold onto their lead and be the first ever Ireland team to win a test against the All Blacks? You wouldn't bet your house on it but they do still lead and if they can keep forcing the hosts into mistakes, a boilover can't be ruled out.

They certainly looked the better team through 20min, as they did last week, but the All Blacks dominated much of the second quarter without coming close to scoring a try. Instead it took three Carter penalties to drag them back into it.

The AB scrum looks better and their backs still have far more latent talent so you suspect it's only a matter of time before they turn their large advantage in territory and possession into more points.

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40: Kick comes up well short and that's halftime.

39: Carter misses touch, bad mistake. Aerial ping pong before the All Blacks try to counter. They lose it at a ruck and Ireland have it before, surprise surprise, the attacking team are pinged again. Mr Owen isn't letting the attacking team get away with much tonight. Carter steps up for a long range shot. Just inside his half and 15m in from the left touch - 56m on the angle approx. He nailed one from this distance last weekend...

38: Quick lineout ball and Ireland go wide for one of the first times tonight. They make good ground down the right but ultimately infringe at a ruck - for holding on. Both teams are struggling to clear away defensive players making plays at tackle ball tonight.

37: Heaslip wins the thrown and Trimble smashes it up. Some hard-hitting NZ defence and Sexton puts a wasteful kick over the top which is easily marked by Dagg, who clears to halfway.

35: NZ work it right through Dagg before the forwards take over again - testing the Irish discipline around the ruck. This time it's the ABs who are pinged though. It's against Whitelock for not releasing. Ireland will throw in 30m out from the NZ line.

34: Ireland change their pattern and try a short kickoff. Backfires badly though because it hasn't gone 10m. Scrum back on halfway and Ireland are putting themselves under pressure once again.

33: PENALTY CARTER. Ireland 10 NZ 9.

32: Messy throw and Aaron Smith links nicely with McCaw. ABs have momentum as they drive inside the 22. Retallick and Thomson make good metres as they keep it tight and prop Mike Ross is penalised. The Irish are starting to concede penalties and letting NZ back into this. Indiscipline mixed with some struggles starting to creep in at the set piece. Carter from 15m in from his left touch..

30: Whitelock claims the deep kick and Dagg carves off 50m with a fine wiper. Irish throw, 35m out from their line.

28: PENALTY CARTER. Ireland 10 NZ 6.

Very wobbly kick but it's over. Good goalkicking from both sides so far.

27: Ireland win the lineout and Murray bombs. Savea again looks dubious under this, the visitors are clearly targetting him. The All Blacks recover and it's captain McCaw who gets them moving forward with a strong burst.

A long period of NZ possession but again the Irish defence is unforgiven. Finally they concede a penalty - against lock Tuohy at the breakdown, 40m out and straight in front.

26: The busy Read charges blind to kick-start another series of All Blacks drives. They're struggling to break tackles tonight though compared to Auckland seven days ago, and they ruck ball isn't as fluent. Dagg makes a half-break down the blind but can't link with Savea. The big wing isn't having such a good night so far and the ball sails out.

25: Ireland front row goes early so free-kick NZ. They'll take another scrum. They certainly have the early edge in this department.

24: Messy AB scrum and Read has to tidy up. Carter clears and Kearney has to scramble under a tricky high ball. Savea has knocked on though so it's Ireland's put-in, just inside their half.

23: Smith juggles the restart but Carter scrambles it clear. Kearney with a quick throw on halfway and Ireland bomb and regather. Kearney has knocked on though - AB scrum on their own 22m.

22: PENALTY CARTER. Ireland 10 NZ 3.

Points at last for the hosts but they're still chasing this game.

21: Read wins the lineout and Carter makes good yards. Ball moved swiftly and Thomson drives to within 15m before Best is penalised. Carter steps up, 20m in from the left touch and 25m out.

20: Read again gets a hand to the short kick. O'Driscoll hacks a loose ball ahead but it's out on the full. NZ throw 40m out.

18: PENALTY SEXTON. IRELAND 10 NZ 0.

Sexton hasn't put a foot wrong to date and his team are looking very very good right now.

17: Nice work from Retallick, who deflects the Irish throw. But the All Blacks are penalised again! It's against Owen Franks - acting as a block at the breakdown. No kicking for touch this time as Sexton steps up for the penalty shot 30m out and 15m in from the right touch.

16: Another good Irish lineout, this time through Ryan and they kick long. Savea juggles the ball backwards and McCaw offends at the ruck. Good pressure there from hooker Rory Best and Sexton clears to within 30m of the NZ line.

15: A couple of scrum restarts needed before Conrad Smith sends through a grubber which Kearney lets dribble out on the Irish 22.

14: Retallick wins the lineout and Trimble spills Smith's box kick. NZ scrum just inside the Irish half.

13: Read wins Carter's short kickoff and hosts can play with some possession at last. Some quality work here, making metres around the ruck through a variety of forward charges. There's a fair bit of sting in the Irish tackling though and Savea spills it in a heavy hit. Turnover and Ireland clear 50m downfield. NZ are in a battle tonight.

12: CONVERSION SEXTON. Ireland 7 NZ 0.

11: TRY MURRAY. Ireland 5 NZ 0. Well deserved Irish try. Set up by cohesive driving from the pack. Diminutive halfback Murray, who struggled somewhat at Auckland, gleefully darts over down the right-hand blindside to shock the home crowd. A real determination is evident tonight from the men in green.

10: Ireland win it unopposed and drive. The maul is lowered just short of the line, AB under massive pressure - halfback Conor Murray makes a dab for the line...

7: McLaughlin wins the lineout and Ireland set up an effective rolling maul. They've inched a couple of metres before the host pack regroups. Good stuff here from Ireland as they put the ball through the hands, swinging from one sideline to the other. Eventually they win a penalty for offside at the ruck. It's wide on the right and they opt to kick for touch rather than for goal! Bold stuff this.

6: An AB box kick is claimed by Ireland and they're happy to hit it up tight around the ruck several times. Expect plenty more of this tonight - a more conservative game plan than at Auckland. Woodcock is penalised at a ruck and Sexton clears the penalty to within 10m of the NZ line.

5: Ireland win the defensive throw, barrel it up a couple of times before Sexton spirals it 60m downfield! AB throw 10 inside their own half.

4: NZ launch a sustained attack, with Carter, Thomson and Aaron Smith all prominent. Flamboyant pass from Smith, before Read is pushed into touch just short of the line.

3: Oh dear, first scrum is a tighthead! Not a good sign for the visitors. SBW makes another charge, and Read again. Read grubbers and the ABs get a throw-in 20m out.

2: Thomson deflects the first lineout and SBW hammers it up though he's met by a staunch green bunch. Read makes good metres but play breaks down as SBW drops it cold! Sloppy stuff and Ireland get a put in on the halfway line.

1st minute: Ireland kick off long and Adam Thomson, the only new AB face from last week, hits it up. O'Brien tries too much at the ruck and it's an early NZ penalty. Carter clears to halfway.

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The Irish are sporting grim looks as they face the Ka Mate haka, led again by Piri Weepu. Hard to know if it's nerves or a steely determination to improve on last week.

Anyway, kickoff awaits and Mr Nigel Owens of Wales gets set to blow his whistle.

Both teams have undergone the 70m walk from prefab changing sheds behind AMI Stadium onto the field of play.

It's a full house and, thankfully, after a week dominated by wet weather, we have a dry evening. It's very cold, steam is coming off the players' noggins but hopefully the ball won't be too slippery and we have another spectacle.

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Welcome to our live coverage of the second test between the All Blacks and Ireland at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

Seven days after the All Blacks' dominant 42-10 win in the first test at Eden Park, it remains to be seen whether the touring Irish can close the gap, let alone notch what would be their defeat of New Zealand in 26 attempts.

Coach Steve Hansen has made just one enforced change to the All Blacks starting 15 that was so impressive in Auckland, with the injured Victor Vito making way for Adam Thomson. Thomson's place on the bench is snapped up by uncapped youngster Sam Cane.

Ireland by contrast have made four changes to the side so comprehensively beaten - two in the backline and two up front.

Captain Brian O'Driscoll at centre is joined by long-time midfield partner Gordon D'Arcy who replaces the injured Keith Earls while Andrew Trimble comes onto the left wing in place of Simon Zebo. In the pack, experienced tighthead prop Mike Ross is back from injury and replaces Declan Fitzpatrick while Kevin McLaughlin usurps Peter O'Mahony on the blindside flank.

Rugby makes a welcome return to quake-hit Christchurch after a two-year absence - with rugby fans expected to fill AMI Stadium to capacity after missing out on any World Cup action last year.

They'll hope the world champion All Blacks can make it worthwhile for them tonight.

Kickoff is at 7.35pm:

Teams: 

New Zealand: Israel Dagg, Zac Guildford,Conrad Smith, Sonny Bill Williams, Julian Savea, Dan Carter, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (capt), Adam Thomson, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Owen Franks, Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Hika Elliot, Ben Franks, Ali Williams, Sam Cane, Piri Weepu, Aaron Cruden, Ben Smith.

Ireland: Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Brian O'Driscoll (capt), Gordon D'Arcy, Andrew Trimble, Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O'Brien, Kevin McLaughlin, Donnacha Ryan, Dan Touhy, Mike Ross, Rory Best, Cian Healy. Reserves: Sean Cronin, Declan Fitzpatrick, Donncha O'Callaghan, Peter O'Mahony, Eoin Reddan, Ronan O'Gara, Simon Cave.

- © Fairfax NZ News