Ireland and New Zealand will meet in Chicago for the second time, nine years on from the historic 2016 showdown which saw Ireland beat the All Blacks for the first time. NZ would get their revenge two weeks later in Dublin, but it’s been very even going between the two teams since, with four wins apiece. New Zealand have won two on the bounce, including a 23-13 victory at Aviva Stadium last year, and this year’s fixture shapes up to be another thriller.
Ireland have had a mixed 2025, starting the year by winning their first three Six Nations games, including a convincing win over England in the opener. However, a 27-42 loss at home to France in the fourth round proved to be enough of a setback to miss out on the title, as Les Bleus won the crown despite also finishing on a 4-1 record alongside Ireland and England. Head coach Andy Farrell led the Lions tour to Australia and brought 18 Irish players with him, meaning the team have had plenty of top-level competition this year, and with a relatively healthy team heading into Sunday’s clash, Ireland will be raring to go.
New Zealand were forced to finish second in the Rugby Championship, seeing South Africa hoist the trophy for the second year running. Both teams finished on 19 points but the All Blacks’ inferior points difference, largely thanks to their record-breaking 10-43 loss to the Boks, saw South Africa come out on top to round out a largely disappointing campaign from Scott Robertson’s troops. That followed a 3-0 sweep of a second-string French team that made the trip out to Aotearoa for the July internationals.
Both teams have named full-strength lineups in Chicago, with Scott Robertson welcoming back Ethan de Groot, Beauden Barrett and Caleb Clarke. A healthy Cam Roigard has proven to be a game-changer, and he starts inside Barrett, with Peter Lakai, Ardie Savea and Simon Parker forming a physical loose forwards trio. For Ireland, a formidable pack has been named, including the likes of James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan. Gary Ringrose and James Lowe are part of a rock-solid backline, which also features Bundee Aki on the bench, while Caelan Doris will also come off the pine.
This Chicago showdown shapes up to be a thriller and with the All Blacks having shown plenty of shaky signs across The Rugby Championship, I am betting against them as reasonably big favourites. The performances against Australia were far from convincing and this Irish team is incredibly well-drilled and cohesive, which will cause this rather loose ABs side a lot of headaches. Expect the Irish to have the majority of territory and possession, which they will use to push them towards another win in Chicago.
Best
Ireland +5.5 ($1.90)
Value
Ireland ($2.70)