Peter O'Mahony makes his feelings clear on Ireland vs All Blacks referee

Saturday, 18 July 2026 at 12:21

bySteven Smith

Ireland may have left Eden Park on the wrong end of a 40-21 scoreline, but Peter O'Mahony and the Virgin Media panel believed one key refereeing decision denied Andy Farrell's side a major opportunity to get back into the contest.

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While New Zealand deserved their victory, Ireland produced plenty of encouraging moments throughout the Test. Their set-piece functioned well for long periods and several costly errors ultimately proved the difference between the two sides.

However, one incident midway through the second half left O'Mahony, Rob Kearney and Andrew Trimble in complete disbelief.

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Quinn Tupaea escapes yellow card

With Ireland building momentum, Tadhg Beirne looked set to burst through a gap before All Blacks centre Quinn Tupaea reached out and knocked the ball forward in an apparent attempt to intercept.

The Rugby Issue

@TheRugbyIssue

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No yellow for this diving deliberate knock on preventing the line break😂 #NZLvIRE #NationsChampionship

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8:52 AM · Jul 18, 2026

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Referee Nic Berry awarded Ireland a penalty for the deliberate knock-on but opted against showing Tupaea a yellow card, despite a lengthy TMO review.

The decision immediately sparked an animated reaction in the Virgin Media studio, with O'Mahony unable to hide his frustration.

"The one where the New Zealand 13 puts his hand out for an intercept... he's 10 feet from it. We have a minute and a half of 48 different angles to see.

"He was never, ever going to catch the ball. Why are we having this discussion?

"We're talking about a fast game. How is he helping the game be fast here? Ninety seconds of dead play to miss something that's 10 feet in front of you. Every person in the entire world can see that. You don't have to be at the ground to see that this is a crazy call."

Virgin Media Sport

@VMSportIE

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Should it have been a yellow card? 🟨🤔 "He should have whistled, took his yellow card out, good luck and on we go." "There's a lot of voices in his head and he's going, 'I have to get this right.'" The panel were split. What do you think? 👇 #NZLvIRE #VMSport

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9:33 AM · Jul 18, 2026

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Virgin Media panel question Nic Berry's call

Rob Kearney was equally puzzled by the outcome, asking simply:

"Well why wasn't it a yellow card?"

O'Mahony responded emphatically:

"I don't know! I've no idea why it wasn't a yellow card! It was 100%, out and out, a line break for Tadhg Beirne. It is 100% a yellow card... at a minimum, you're 30 yards up the field."

Andrew Trimble also struggled to understand the referee's logic.

"He's already agreed it is a deliberate knock-on because of the penalty. It's a deliberate knock on, and there is that overlap."

Still unconvinced, O'Mahony continued:

"100% he's had a chance to catch that ball. Like, what are we looking at? I'm sorry now, lads. It's crazy."

Trimble added:

"If it's a penalty... he's straight through the gap... if it's a penalty, it's a yellow card."

O'Mahony concluded:

"He should have whistled and been walking over with his yellow card out - 'Good luck, and on we go.'"

Realising how animated he had become, the former Ireland captain laughed:

"Sorry now, I'm getting carried away!"

The debate continued, with O'Mahony asking:

"I've no idea what's going on in his head. Are we all agreed on that?"

Kearney admitted:

"I'm a bit more on the fence."

Trimble joked:

"There's a lot of voices in his head, and he's going, 'I have to get this right.'"

Kearney then added:

"But the four of them got it wrong! If you think that it's that categorical..."

O'Mahony finished by saying:

"They've the three of them over there standing looking at the TV. I'm going, 'Lads, this is a non-event!'"

Despite their frustration, the panel all accepted that the controversial decision was not the reason Ireland lost the match. New Zealand were the better side across the 80 minutes, but for Irish supporters, Berry's decision not to send Tupaea to the sin-bin will remain one of the biggest talking points from a disappointing afternoon at Eden Park.

Ireland player ratings vs All Blacks:

15. HUGO KEENAN – 6

After such a phenomenal performance against the Wallabies, Keenan had a slow start against the All Blacks. The full-back was flattened by Patrick Tuipulotu as the hulking lock powered over for the opening try after 15 minutes. He stretched his legs with a breakout run in the 30th minute but was caught in a cluster of black jerseys before he could find Baloucoune out wide.

The full-back was unfortunate to step into touch as he swept up in defence, with the 50th-minute error handing possession back to the All Blacks. He then picked up a walk-in try out wide just after the hour mark, with plenty of credit due to Sam Prendergast's miss pass.

14. ROBERT BALOUCOUNE – 6

Back in the starting XV to plenty of fanfare, Ireland's resident X-factor wing returned from a brief hamstring setback. It was a very quiet first 25 minutes for the Ulster flyer, with his first touch coming just before the half-hour mark.

The Cat was caged for the opening half as the All Blacks enjoyed the lion's share of possession. Baloucoune was far more impressive in the second half, producing a solid effort in the kick chase to retain Gibson-Park's box kicks. He also made a fantastic defensive intervention in the 70th minute to halt the All Blacks attack with a burst off the line.

13. GARRY RINGROSE – 5

An individual battle within the war saw Garry Ringrose line up in midfield against his former Leinster teammate Jordie Barrett. It was very uncharacteristic to see Ringrose appear passive at the gain line, although much of that was down to the outstanding All Blacks defence, which comfortably absorbed Ireland's crash-ball attempts.

Ringrose was left isolated a couple of times in attack during a tough evening in Auckland.

12. STUART McCLOSKEY (OFF 59') – 5

The Ulster powerhouse brought his usual line speed in defence but was beaten rather effortlessly by the fleet-footed Damien McKenzie in the 10th minute. McCloskey was then caught offside in the 21st minute, with his over-eagerness apparent in Auckland.

McCloskey then threw the ball straight to All Blacks wing Josh Moorby for an interception before later sending a wayward pass to nobody on his own five-metre line. It was gratefully scooped up by Will Jordan, who extended the All Blacks' lead to two tries. McCloskey was then unable to stop Asafo Aumua from scoring the bonus-point try on the stroke of half-time in what was a nightmare opening half for the centre.

Like the rest of his Ireland teammates, McCloskey steadily grew into the match during the second half as he took a more measured approach in defence.

11. JIMMY O'BRIEN (OFF 13', ON 19', OFF 58') – 5

The in-form Leinster flyer got the nod to start on the wing, with no place in the squad for provincial teammate Jamie Osborne. He did some excellent work in the opening stages to force an eighth-minute turnover alongside Dan Sheehan before being withdrawn for a HIA in the 13th minute.

O'Brien returned soon afterwards but could not hold up Ardie Savea as the All Blacks captain powered over for the 22nd-minute try. He later needlessly tapped the ball back into touch in the 26th minute, handing possession away once again. The wing was also unable to reach Prendergast's high pass out wide as another attack broke down.

10. SAM PRENDERGAST – 5

It was a huge occasion for Prendergast to hold his nerve and prove his quality, but the Leinster fly-half was under serious pressure from the opening whistle. Prendergast fired a couple of wayward passes that forced his receivers to check their runs, while his 30th-minute offload went straight into touch, summing up Ireland's first-half struggles.

Prendergast found himself on the receiving end of several thumping tackles in the opening half as the All Blacks exploded out of the blocks. A wide miss pass from the No.10 then sailed over Jimmy O'Brien's head and into touch early in the second half. He made amends with a lovely wide pass for Hugo Keenan's walk-in score.

9. JAMISON GIBSON-PARK – 6

The match began at a frantic tempo at Eden Park, with Jamison Gibson-Park eager to match the All Blacks' side-to-side attacking speed with his own Kiwi-inspired quick ball. He was caught out of position in the 22nd minute, allowing Ardie Savea to power through a huge gap for a try.

The usually calm and composed scrum-half seemed flustered by the pressure, sending a 29th-minute pass to nobody for an unforced turnover. Gibson-Park then led Ireland's second-half resurgence with lightning-quick distribution as the faintest doubts began to creep into the All Blacks' minds.

1. TOM O'TOOLE (OFF 67') – 5

Over-eager to make his mark on the All Blacks at scrum time, the prop jumped the gun with an early engagement at the opening set-piece. Ireland conceded a series of penalties and free-kicks in the first half, even after the All Blacks briefly lost star tight-head Tyrel Lomax to a blood injury.

O'Toole impressed around the park with a few strong carries that dented the black wall. A scrum penalty proved to be his final involvement as he left the field frustrated by his overall effort.

2. DAN SHEEHAN (OFF 67') – 6

Back leading the Ireland side after sitting out the win over Japan, Sheehan made no mistake with his opening lineout after seven throws had gone astray between himself and Kelleher across the previous fortnight. He followed that with a thumping opening carry before producing an early turnover at the breakdown.

He was given a stern talking-to by the referee following a scrappy exchange midway through the first half. His frustration grew after Cam Roigard refused to release the ball following an Irish turnover, prompting the hooker to shove the scrum-half away. His final contribution was being penalised alongside O'Toole at scrum time, capping a difficult evening despite the improved lineout.

3. TADHG FURLONG (OFF 60') – 5

There were plenty of scrummaging purists looking forward to seeing the veteran Tadhg Furlong battle with the in-form Ethan de Groot. The All Blacks got the upper hand in the scrum, with Ireland repeatedly driven backwards in the first half.

Away from the set-piece, Furlong emptied the tank, producing a strong defensive work rate while digging deep for valuable metres against the black wall.

4. JOE McCARTHY – 7

Tempers flared early after Garry Ringrose was turned over, with the mulleted lock taking exception to Ethan de Groot's remarks and sparking a push-and-shove in the fourth minute.

McCarthy began the second half with a powerful break before showing off his offloading game. He then bundled over for Ireland's opening try after the restart. Despite becoming involved in a few off-the-ball scuffles, the lock was one of Ireland's standout performers in Auckland.

5. JAMES RYAN (OFF 59') – 6

There were plenty of eyes on Ireland's set-piece following a difficult outing against Japan. Ryan was frustrated after knocking the ball on in the 12th minute with Ireland threatening the All Blacks' line.

He improved as the second half wore on, helping tighten the set-piece and lay the platform for Ireland's early try after the break. It was a much stronger display than against Japan, although the quality of the opposition was evident throughout.

6. TADHG BEIRNE – 7

Beirne showcased his outstanding rugby IQ by reading an early attacking move and forcing an error to halt an All Blacks attack in the sixth minute. He later conceded an unnecessary penalty for kicking the ball away while offside.

The Munster forward was ever-present in the hard yards as Ireland responded impressively after the break. He moved into the second row midway through the second half and led the defensive effort with another tireless display, once again proving to be one of Ireland's standout performers.

7. JOSH VAN DER FLIER (OFF 60') – 6.5

It was an exhausting first half for the man in the red scrum cap, who battled tirelessly against relentless waves of All Blacks attack. He took a nasty shot to the head at a ruck, resulting in Luke Jacobson being shown a red card.

Van der Flier recovered well and produced a fine turnover around the half-hour mark. He also did brilliantly to avoid being held up over the line, allowing Joe McCarthy to score from the following phase.

8. JACK CONAN – 7.5

Conan led Ireland's fightback after the visitors absorbed wave after wave of All Blacks pressure. The No.8 stood tall with a try from close range after powering over from five metres out.

He was one of Ireland's few bright sparks during a difficult opening half and continued to empty the tank throughout the contest. Conan began the second half with a huge hit on Jordie Barrett to force a knock-on before continuing to inspire Ireland's resistance. Once again, he wore his heart on his sleeve and has been one of the standout players of the Southern Series.

REPLACEMENTS

16. RONAN KELLEHER (ON 67') – 6

The double change from the bench saw Ronan Kelleher and Jeremy Loughman enter the fray with plenty of work to do up front. Kelleher had a couple of opportunities to prove that the lineout and scrum struggles against Japan were merely a blip, in what should provide a welcome confidence boost for the hooker.

17. JEREMY LOUGHMAN (ON 67') – 5.5

The replacement loosehead was not heavily involved around the park, but the Munster man did his fair share of defensive work as the All Blacks refused to take their foot off the gas in the closing stages.

18. THOMAS CLARKSON (ON 59') – 6

Clarkson came on to lift the intensity around Ireland's set-piece, although the scrum issues continued with some early engagements during the second half. The prop also had a few strong carries into the black jerseys.

19. NICK TIMONEY (ON 60') – 7

The in-form Ulster back-rower was preferred on the bench ahead of Connacht captain Cian Prendergast, and Timoney made the most of his 20-minute cameo. The frantic final quarter suited him perfectly as he produced some sharp carries and tackled tirelessly until the final whistle.

20. SEAN JANSEN (ON 58') – 6

It was something of a homecoming for the New Zealand-born forward, as Jansen built on his impressive debut against Japan with another solid contribution against the All Blacks at Eden Park. Jansen looked eager to get his hands on the ball and bring the fight to the All Blacks, but the Connacht Player of the Year had limited opportunities with the ball and spent much of his time in defensive work.

21. CRAIG CASEY – N/A

The Munster scrum-half was an unused replacement at Eden Park.

22. CIARÁN FRAWLEY (ON 13', OFF 19', ON 58') – 6.5

Thrown into the action far earlier than expected, the soon-to-be Connacht player covered on the wing during Jimmy O'Brien's HIA. Frawley did very well to read Ruben Love's probing kicks, sweeping up confidently at the back.

He was left bloodied following a brave defensive effort before temporarily leaving the field. Despite repeatedly being substituted on and off, Frawley handled the unusual circumstances well, with his bandaged head popping up for several valuable contributions.

23. BUNDEE AKI (ON 19', OFF 22', ON 59') – 6.5

The New Zealand-born centre returned to his homeland and was called into action much earlier than expected after Ciarán Frawley departed for a blood replacement while Jimmy O'Brien underwent his HIA. Ireland's ranks were quickly depleted.

Aki soon made way again when O'Brien returned before re-entering later in the game. Like Frawley, he coped well with the stop-start nature of his afternoon, delivering his customary hammer blows in Ireland's late attacking efforts while throwing his weight around in defence.