We wont be bullied: Ireland's unique challenge to all blacks haka sets up win

Ireland flanker Josh Van Der Flier has revealed how his team's subtle but positive response to the Blacks haka set the tone for their remarkable win in Dublin.

Van Der Flier said his team were determined to show the world champion All Blacks they would not be bullied and decided they did that before the match even kicked off.

The Irish players linked arms and took one strong step forward as Kieran Read and his All Blacks started their haka. Ireland went on to win 16-9, their first win over the Blacks at home and their second against New Zealand in two years.

"I think it just represented the fact we were not going to take a backward step the whole game," Van Der Flier told the Irish Independent.

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"That's what [captain] Rory Best said to us, we wanted to go after them, not step away, not accept being bullied by them.

"That was part of it and then I suppose it's a pretty special moment as a team all being together and watching something as historic as the haka So it's too cool.

"You watch any game, they are incredibly physical, so we knew we had to come out and go after them.

"We knew we could not sit back, we went out to go after them and really put pressure on them."

This is not the first time the Irish have put a hoodoo over the All Blacks haka.

Ireland produced a emotional response to the haka in Chicago in 2016 which came ahead of their historic first win over the All Blacks.

They formed a figure of eight on the pitch in the honour of the late Anthony Foley, the former Ireland No 8 and the captain who died from heart disease at the age of 42.