All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane has wasted little time rubbing salt into Irish wounds, after his team defeated their world No.1 rivals 23-13 at Dublin.
Ioane, 27, sparked most of the pre-game banter between the two sides, after former Ireland captain Johnny Sexton accused him of being "a fake-humble f**ker" in his recently released autobiography.
Immediately after New Zealand ousted Ireland from last year's Rugby World Cup quarterfinals, the All Blacks centre reportedly told Sexton to "enjoy retirement" and "don't miss your plane home", a reaction that did not sit well with the devastated first-five.
"So much for the All Blacks' famous 'no dickheads' policy," wrote Sexton. "So much for their humility."
At the time, Ioane responded with a social media post featuring the "in your head" lyrics from Irish rock song Zombie, by The Cranberries.
Within hours of their latest win, he was back on Instagram, posting a series of pics of himself leading the All Blacks haka, captioned: "Put that in the book."
With veterans Codie Taylor (concussion) and TJ Perenara not included in the playing line-up, Ioane was called on to lead the pre-game challenge for the first time in his 80-test career, almost a signal of intent by the All Blacks, who ended a 19-game winning streak for Ireland at their Aviva Stadium home.
Immediately after the game, he was seen exchanging pleasantries with Auckland-born Ireland counterpart Bundee Aki.
The All Blacks-Ireland rivalry has reached fever pitch, since the northerners managed their first victory at Chicago in 2016 and then added four more in the next seven encounters, including a maiden series win in New Zealand two years ago.
As they clinched that series at Wellington, flanker Peter O'Mahony told NZ captain Sam Cane he was a "sh*t Richie McCaw", an insult the Kiwis took to heart.
"There's definitely an edge," confirmed Robertson. "They won a Test series in New Zealand and it came down to the final play at the World Cup.
"There's been a few words sprayed back and forward, and that's the great thing about our game, especially internationally. It brings the international game together because of these stories and rivalry.
"You tap into it, but it's not your focus."
New Zealand have now managed back-to-back wins and Ireland will lose their top world ranking as a result. If Scotland can beat world champions South Africa overnight, the All Blacks can reclaim the top spot.
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