All Blacks v Ireland, Grand Slam Tour, 9.10am, Sunday, Soldier Field, Chicago

Scott Robertson’s side begin their quest to become the fifth All Blacks side to win a Grand Slam, and it starts in Chicago of all places. Not your typical launching pad for a Grand Slam (the 1978 side started their tour at Cambridge University).

But it’s a significant venue for these two sides, with Soldier Field being the scene of Ireland’s famous 40-29 victory over the All Blacks in 2016, their maiden win against New Zealand. Since then, it’s turned into a decent rivalry with a 5-5 split across the last 10 tests.

The All Blacks head to the US on the back of two wins to end the Rugby Championship while Ireland last played in July against Portugal (106-7) and Georgia (34-5) after finishing third in the Six Nations.

All Blacks v Ireland history

Played – 38

All Blacks won – 32

Ireland won – 5

Draws – 1

All Blacks points scored – 1064

Ireland points scored – 529

All Blacks v Ireland line-ups

All Blacks side to face Ireland:

Named 7am Friday

Ireland side to face All Blacks:

Named 2pm Friday

All Blacks v Ireland last time they met

All Blacks 23 Ireland 13

Ireland’s quest for redemption turned to a horror movie as the All Blacks humbled their arch-rivals with an underdog triumph in Dublin.

Some 13 months on, 392 days to be exact, the pain of last year’s dramatic World Cup quarter-final defeat will linger for Ireland.

Handing Ireland their first home defeat after a 19-test winning run, and securing their first victory in Dublin for eight years, the All Blacks upstaged the world’s top-ranked nation.

Summoning their best performance of the year to snatch their most significant scalp, the All Blacks fully deserved this victory after overcoming adversity – recovering on a six-day turnaround, Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor’s notable absences and a first-half yellow card for Jordie Barrett – to dominate Andy Farrell’s vaunted Ireland.

All Blacks v Ireland last 10 meetings

2024 - All Blacks 23 Ireland 13, Dublin

2023 - All Blacks 28 Ireland 24, Paris

2022 - Ireland 32 All Blacks 22, Wellington

2022 - Ireland 23 All Blacks 12, Dunedin

2022 - All Blacks 42 Ireland 19, Auckland

2021 - Ireland 29 All Blacks 20, Dublin

2019 - All Blacks 46 Ireland 14, Tokyo

2018 - Ireland 16 All Blacks 9, Dublin

2016 - All Blacks 21 Ireland 9, Dublin

2016 - Ireland 40 All Blacks 29, Chicago

Form guide (past five tests)

All Blacks: W, W, L, W, L

Ireland: W, W, L, W, W

All Blacks’ record in Chicago

2014 - All Blacks 74 USA 6

2016 - All Blacks 29 Ireland 40

All Blacks v Ireland referee

Frenchman Pierre Brousset will referee the All Blacks’ opening Grand Slam test against Ireland in Chicago on November 2. He’s already officiated an All Blacks victory in 2025, being in charge of their 41-24 win in Córdoba.

All Blacks v Ireland TAB odds

All Blacks: $1.47 Draw: $21 Ireland: $2.60

All Blacks Grand Slam schedule

Sunday, November 2, 9.10am – All Blacks v Ireland, Soldier Field, Chicago

Sunday, November 9, 4.10am – All Blacks v Scotland, Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Sunday, November 16, 4.10am - All Blacks v England, Twickenham, London

Sunday, November 23, 4.10am – All Blacks v Wales, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

All Blacks v Ireland – how to follow the action

For live commentary of All Blacks v Ireland, join Elliott Smith on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio, plus the Alternative Commentary Collective will be providing commentary on their iHeartRadio stream.

You can watch the game on Sky Sport 1 and it will be livestreaming on Sky Sport Now.

You can also find live updates at nzherald.co.nz.