Put that in the book—the final word after a year of settling scores
At the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, New Zealand ended Ireland's 19-game home winning streak with a 23-13 victory, handing Andy Farrell only his second defeat on home soil since 2020. The match carried weight beyond the scoreboard, as All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane led the Haka for the first time and faced a hostile crowd shaped by revelations in retired Ireland captain Johnny Sexton's memoir about a bitter exchange at the 2023 World Cup. Sport, at its most human, rarely separates the personal from the competitive — and on this Friday night in Dublin, the two were inseparable.
- Ireland's fortress fell: a 19-game home winning streak, built over four years, was dismantled in a single cold November night.
- The crowd turned the stadium into a trial, booing Ioane every time his face appeared on screen and roaring when he took a heavy hit — the personal had become communal.
- Sexton's memoir had lit the fuse, revealing that Ioane sent him off with a crude farewell at the 2023 World Cup, transforming a sporting rivalry into a public feud with a year's worth of pressure behind it.
- Ioane led the Haka for the first time, absorbing the hostility and converting it — finishing the night by posting a Joker image with the caption 'Put that in the book,' aimed squarely at Sexton.
- After the final whistle, Ioane offered a measured closing statement — 'feelings got hurt, stuff was said' — but only after securing both the result and the last word.
The Aviva Stadium fell quiet in the final minutes as New Zealand's 23-13 victory settled over Dublin. It was not merely a win — it was a reckoning, and it carried a personal edge sharpened over more than a year.
The All Blacks beat Ireland for the second time in succession, snapping a 19-game home winning streak that had stretched back to 2020. For head coach Andy Farrell, it was only his second defeat on home soil since taking charge. But the numbers alone could not capture what the night truly meant.
At the centre of it all was Rieko Ioane, who led the Haka for the first time in his career, knowing exactly what awaited him. The crowd booed him at every opportunity. When Garry Ringrose landed a heavy hit on him in the first half, the stadium erupted. Ioane had become the pantomime villain — and he seemed to embrace it.
The tension traced back to the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final in France, where New Zealand defeated Ireland 28-24 in what proved to be Johnny Sexton's final match before retirement. In his recently published memoir, Sexton revealed that after the final whistle, Ioane had told him to step back ten metres — and then sent him off with a crude farewell: 'Enjoy your retirement, you c***.' The revelation had stung, and it had set the stage for Friday night.
Ioane had already responded on social media before the match. After the victory, he posted photographs from the game alongside an image of Heath Ledger's Joker, captioned simply: 'Put that in the book.' It was an unmistakable final jab at Sexton's memoir.
Speaking to TNT Sports afterwards, Ioane struck a more measured tone. 'Feelings got hurt, stuff was said,' he said, 'but I'm just here to play footy and win games.' The feud, if truly over, had ended with the All Blacks on top — and Ioane holding the narrative.
The Aviva Stadium fell silent in the final minutes as New Zealand's 23-13 victory settled over Dublin like a cold fog. It was not just a win—it was a statement, and it came with a personal edge that had been sharpened over the course of a year.
The All Blacks had now beaten Ireland twice in succession, and in doing so, they had snapped a 19-game winning streak at home that stretched back to 2020. For Andy Farrell, Ireland's head coach, it marked only his second defeat on home soil since taking the job. The numbers were stark, but they did not capture the full texture of what had happened on the pitch that Friday night. Rieko Ioane, the All Blacks centre, had led the Haka for the first time in his career, and he had done so knowing exactly what awaited him in the crowd.
Every time Ioane's face appeared on the stadium screens, the crowd booed him. When Garry Ringrose, Ireland's centre, landed a heavy hit on him in the first half, the stadium erupted. Ioane had become the pantomime villain, the figure onto which an entire nation's frustration could be directed. He seemed to understand the role and to embrace it.
The tension between Ioane and Johnny Sexton, Ireland's retired captain, had been building for more than a year. It began in France during the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, when New Zealand defeated Ireland 28-24 in a match that ended the Irish team's hopes of reaching the semi-finals for the first time. It was Sexton's final game before retirement. In his recently published book, Sexton had revealed what happened in those moments after the final whistle. He described standing in disbelief as referee Wayne Barnes awarded a crucial penalty to New Zealand. And then, Sexton wrote, Ioane had approached him and told him to step back ten metres, and after the whistle, had added a crude farewell: "Don't miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c***." The revelation had stung, and it had set the stage for this rematch.
Ioane had responded to Sexton's book with his own social media post before Friday's match, adding fuel to what had become a genuine feud. But after the All Blacks' victory, he took the final word. He posted several photographs from the match, alongside an image of Heath Ledger's Joker character, with a single caption: "Put that in the book." It was a direct, unmistakable jab at Sexton's recent memoir.
When Ioane spoke to TNT Sports after the match, he seemed ready to close the chapter. "Feelings got hurt, stuff was said," he acknowledged, "but look, I'm just here to play footy and win games." It was a measured response, almost diplomatic, but it came only after he had already had the last word on the scoreboard and on social media. The feud, if it was truly over, had ended with the All Blacks on top and Ioane holding the narrative.
New Zealand would travel to France next week to face the Stade de France, while Ireland would attempt to recover against Argentina. But for now, in Dublin, the story belonged to Ioane—and to a victory that had settled a year-old score.
Citas Notables
Feelings got hurt, stuff was said, but look, I'm just here to play footy and win games.— Rieko Ioane, speaking to TNT Sports after the match
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a single comment from Ioane after the match matter so much? It's just words.
Because it closes a loop that started in a World Cup quarter-final. Sexton had the last word in his book—he got to tell the story of what Ioane said to him. Now Ioane has the last word on the field, and he's telling Sexton to write that down too.
So this is about control of the narrative?
It's about more than that. It's about who gets to define what happened and what it means. Sexton was hurt, and he published that hurt. Ioane responded by winning the match and then making sure everyone knew he'd won it.
The crowd booed him all night. Didn't that bother him?
It probably did. But he used it. He became the villain they wanted him to be, and then he proved the villain was right. That's a kind of power.
Is the feud actually over now?
On the surface, yes. Ioane said the right things in the interview—measured, professional. But he'd already said everything that mattered on Instagram. The feud ended the way these things usually do: with one person winning and the other having to accept it.