All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has heralded the rise of Ireland as a World Cup contender once again, following his side's 16-9 defeat in Dublin yesterday.
Under coach Joe Schmidt, Ireland have been transformed into one of world rugby's most dangerous sides, now looming as genuine contenders for next year's World Cup in Japan.
Asked about his side's Dublin loss, Hansen was nothing but complimentary of the progress Ireland have made under Schmidt.
"They're fitter, whoever's doing their conditioning work needs a pat on the back," Hansen began.
"Their defence is great. Their scrum was good, it took us a while to get on top of that.
"Everybody in the team is doing their bit - I said that last night - and obviously Joe [Schmidt] is leading it pretty well.
"They've become a team that believes in themselves, and are priding themselves on how they're playing. It's their turn at the moment, so we'll see how they cope with that."
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