Ireland v New Zealand, Chicago 2016: quick facts
- When: 5 November 2016, at Soldier Field, Chicago.
- Result: Ireland 40, New Zealand 29.
- History: Ireland’s first ever win over the All Blacks, at the 29th attempt, 111 years after the teams first met in 1905. It also ended New Zealand’s record run of 18 straight Test wins.
- The tribute: before kick-off, the Irish players faced the haka standing in the shape of a number 8, in memory of Anthony Foley, the former Ireland number 8 and Munster coach who had died three weeks earlier.
Some sporting moments are about more than the result. On a cold November afternoon in Chicago, the Ireland rugby team lined up to face the haka, and instead of the usual line, they stood in the shape of a figure 8. Everyone watching knew exactly why.
Why the figure 8?
Anthony Foley was a legend of Irish rugby. He wore the number 8 jersey for Ireland and captained Munster to their first European Cup in 2006, and he later became Munster’s head coach. On 16 October 2016, he died suddenly in his sleep in Paris, on the eve of a European match. He was 42.
The whole of Irish rugby was heartbroken. When Ireland faced New Zealand three weeks later, the players formed a figure 8 in front of the haka in his honour, with Foley’s former Munster teammates and players he had coached in the shape. It was a quiet, dignified tribute, and it gave the day a meaning beyond rugby.
111 years in the making
Ireland had played the All Blacks 28 times since their first meeting in Dublin in 1905, and had never beaten them. New Zealand arrived in Chicago as world champions, on a record run of 18 straight Test wins.
Ireland tore into them. Tries from Jordi Murphy, CJ Stander and Conor Murray gave them a 25-8 lead at half-time, and Simon Zebo added another early in the second half. Then, as you’d expect, the All Blacks fought back, scoring three tries to close the gap to 33-29. With the crowd on edge, Robbie Henshaw went over late on to seal it: Ireland 40, New Zealand 29.
At Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, thousands of Irish fans, many of them Irish-Americans who had travelled from all over the US, celebrated a result that had seemed impossible for over a century. Just days earlier the Chicago Cubs had won baseball’s World Series for the first time in 108 years. It was quite a week for ending curses in Chicago.
What came next
Chicago changed everything. Ireland beat the All Blacks again in Dublin in 2018, and in 2022 they won a Test series in New Zealand for the first time. Irish rugby went from hoping to compete with the best to expecting to.
But for many Irish fans, Chicago 2016 is still the one. The figure 8, the win, and the feeling that Anthony Foley was somehow part of it.
Chicago 2016 FAQ
When did Ireland first beat the All Blacks?
On 5 November 2016, 40-29 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Why did Ireland form a figure 8 against the haka?
In memory of Anthony Foley, the former Ireland number 8 and Munster head coach, who died on 16 October 2016.
Who scored Ireland’s tries in Chicago?
Jordi Murphy, CJ Stander, Conor Murray, Simon Zebo and Robbie Henshaw.
More Irish sporting moments
- The Irish fans who won over Europe
- Zombie: Ireland’s rugby anthem
- Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden
- Shane Lowry’s Open win at Royal Portrush
Featured photo: Soldier Field, Chicago, by Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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