Ireland's Robbie Henshaw is injured in the tackle of Sam Cane of New Zealand Photo: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
Analysis - Just under seven years ago was when things really got going between the All Blacks and Ireland. It wasn't in Chicago, although that famous first win by the men in green definitely deserves a mention. It was a fortnight later in Dublin, when All Black ruthlessness and the comparative looseness of the rules combined to bully Ireland off the field with a black eye, along with a 21-9 win.
Times have changed. Long enough for Malakai Fekitoa to now be representing Tonga, that night in Dublin his hit on Conor Murray might well have ended up being more than a yellow card these days. Sam Cane is now captain of the All Blacks and his clash with Robbie Henshaw would have almost certainly been a red, instead of a pat on the back for sending the Irish centre to the sideline with a neck injury.
Given that the Chicago defeat felt like a one off, at least to New Zealanders anyway, the response in Dublin was a particularly violent reaction. It showed that the loss had clearly hurt the All Blacks, and they wanted to make sure that the Irish paid for it.
It was meant to send a message that such impudence wouldn't be tolerated. After all, it was during perhaps the greatest period of success the world's most successful team has ever enjoyed. After two World Cups in a row, the Chicago loss stuck out like a stain on an otherwise immaculately pressed suit.
The problem is that since then, a few more particularly auspicious marks have appeared as the All Blacks' stranglehold on the rugby world loosened, then meekly dropped away.
In that time, Ireland have beaten the All Blacks four more times. Two of those were on New Zealand soil last year, the first time they had achieved that feat and the first time the All Blacks had dropped a series at home since 1994. The Dublin bash-fest has arguably had the opposite effect than intended - instead of putting down an insolent challenge to the natural order it showed the Irish the absolute peak of All Black vengeance and physicality, something usually reserved for the Springboks or English.
It meant the Irish now knew they were capable of sending a jitter through the All Blacks, the coaching staff and the collective New Zealand rugby public. It's quite a powerful feeling, when used the right way.
Ireland's Robbie Henshaw lays injured Photo: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
In the old days, All Blacks v Ireland tests followed a predictable script: the Irish would come out firing, run out of gas after about half an hour and the superior tactical game of the All Blacks would carry them through to a comfortable win. The odd exceptions were when Ireland wouldn't even hold up their end of the bargain, like when the All Blacks put 60 points on them twice in just two seasons in 2010-12.
That feels like a long time ago. Yes, there was the big All Black win at the last World Cup, but in retrospect that result probably said more about Ireland. Joe Schmidt's side had just lost to Japan in the pool stage and were clearly a side that had peaked a year early.
Schmidt is now with the All Blacks and just what sort of influence he can conjure up for this now era-defining test against his old side is fascinating. He is rightfully held in high regard by both national set ups, but the strides that Ireland have taken since Andy Farrell has taken over really does beg the question as to whether Schmidt's conservative game plan was actually holding back Ireland's potential.
The All Blacks have denied that last year's series loss is motivating them to put things right in Paris and consign Ireland to yet another quarter-final exit. But that's difficult to believe, when the evidence is right there that they have very much done it before in 2016. This time though, they're not going to be able to simply bludgeon their opponents into submission, because things are very different now.
