The feuds and fallouts from each test between these sides fans the flames of a rivalry that demands the ultimate respect from the All Blacks.

Four years on from Ireland’s first series success in New Zealand, though, the All Blacks have restored a sense of historical order by winning their past three matches to firmly regain the upper hand.

The question now, as Ireland attempt to tear down Eden Park’s impenetrable walls, is have they peaked and plateaued?

External Irish confidence is certainly a different beast from 2023, when victory at the World Cup was seemingly assured in the quarter-final.

Scott Robertson’s turbulent All Blacks tenure failed to meet expectations but he had Ireland’s number to break their 19-match unbeaten run in Dublin, and follow that with a comfortable win in Chicago last year thanks to a final-quarter blitz.

Those were two limp performances from Ireland. They scored 13 points in both defeats, which won’t be nearly enough to counter Dave Rennie’s reshaped attacking mindset.

At the end of their season – as opposed to the first-up contests the All Blacks claimed to start the last two November windows – Ireland should be better prepared and have more rhythm this time around.

“They’re a brilliant attacking side. That’s never going to change,” Ireland coach Andy Farrell said. “Keeping them to a minimum is going to be a challenge but you also have to give your best defensive display and raise it again because of the nature of how they want to play.

“We’re confident in our ability to score points. We know if we click, if we put our best performance out there, we can cause any team trouble.”

Say it quietly, but Ireland are not the vaunted team they were. Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Johnny Sexton in their backline; Andrew Porter, Peter O’Mahony and inspirational captain Caelan Doris up front are all absent.

Farrell’s men finished second in this year’s Six Nations after claiming the Triple Crown with four straight victories – losing only their opening match to France in Paris.

But after an unconvincing win over the Wallabies, before their second-string side ground past Japan, the tentative regeneration of Ireland’s ageing team is in the spotlight.

When Ireland executes their short passing game their attacking pod system that features two ball players out the back and multiple carrying options can hurt any team. And with the All Blacks defence experiencing growing pains, this is one area Ireland could exploit.

Ireland will chase control through their kicking game, too, where Jamison Gibson-Park is their fulcrum from the base. Vulnerabilities under the high ball remain evident for the All Blacks, which speaks to Jimmy O’Brien’s inclusion on the left wing.

While Ireland largely continue to favour their highly detailed, structured approach, Rennie’s All Blacks will attempt to impose their newly adopted form of attacking chaos.

Rennie has, initially at least, sacrificed elements of speed this week by selecting Tupou Vaa’i at blindside to significantly beef up the All Blacks forward pack.

In the set-piece battleground, Vaa’i will be used to target Ireland’s shaky lineout and the All Blacks will come hard at scrum time for Irish prop Tom O’Toole in his transition from the tighthead to loosehead side.

Just as Ireland will challenge Ruben Love’s defence, the All Blacks will send heavy traffic down Sam Prendergast’s channel in the biggest test of his career.

Vaa’i and Patrick Tuipulotu’s selections acknowledge the need for the All Blacks to generate more power and punch from their pack – and they must vary their attack more than the lateral width-to-width style that proved predictable last week against Italy.

“We know where they’re coming. Our job is to get them out of their comfort zone and ensure, through how we defend, they’re below their best and try and profit off that,” Rennie said.

“We’re pretty confident with the group we’ve got that we can apply pressure at the set piece. That’s a case of us being really clinical. Our mindset has been excellent.

“We’ve got to be prepared to play through them, squeeze them up and pick them off a bit as opposed to trying to go wide at every opportunity.

“We respect their ability and that excites me because I know the boys are going to bar up.”

Achieve enough go-forward, and the All Blacks will seek to unleash their attacking intent. Their bench could be a trump card, too.

Injecting loose forwards Peter Lakai, Anton Segner, dynamic front rowers Asafo Aumua and Xavier Numia alongside Caleb Clarke’s power should significantly lift the pace late and challenge Ireland’s conditioning that was exposed last time in Chicago.

“Having a couple of guys who can bring genuine impact will be good for us,” Rennie said.

On paper, the All Blacks are younger, more athletic, but their skills and decision-making must match the need for speed.

Unlike other opposition coaches who traditionally downplay Eden Park’s status, Farrell issued a call to arms for his team to embrace.

“The record speaks for itself,” Farrell said of the All Blacks’ 52-match unbeaten run. “It has to be right up there with the most difficult job in world rugby at this moment in time but where else would you rather be? You want to wake up on Monday morning with no regrets. Don’t waste the opportunity.”

As the brutal South African tour looms into view, defending their spiritual home, where they have trained this week to harness the venue’s significance, is paramount for Rennie’s All Blacks to project progression too.

Are Ireland over the hill? Do they strike the All Blacks at an opportune time in Rennie’s budding era?

An Irish revival, or order restored?

Either way, the narrative, the evolution of this rivalry, will definitively shift on Saturday.

All Blacks: 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 4. Josh Lord, 5. Patrick Tuipulotu, 6. Tupou Vaa’i, 7. Luke Jacobson, 8. Ardie Savea (c), 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Ruben Love, 11. Josh Moorby, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Quinn Tupaea, 14. Will Jordan, 15. Damian McKenzie

Reserves: 16. Asafo Aumua, 17. Xavier Numia, 18. Fletcher Newell, 19. Anton Segner, 20. Peter Lakai, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Anton Lienert-Brown, 23. Caleb Clarke

Ireland: 1. Tom O’Toole, 2. Dan Sheehan (captain), 3. Tadhg Furlong, 4. Joe McCarthy, 5. James Ryan, 6. Tadhg Beirne, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Jack Conan, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 10. Sam Prendergast, 11. Jimmy O’Brien, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Garry Ringrose, 14. Rob Baloucoune, 15. Hugo Keenan.

Reserves: 16. Ronan Kelleher, 17. Jeremy Loughman, 18. Thomas Clarkson, 19. Nick Timoney, 20. Sean Jansen, 21. Craig Casey, 22. Ciaran Frawley, 23. Bundee Aki.

Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.