All Blacks coach Ian Foster has labelled his side's performance as "unacceptable" after Saturday's 23-12 defeat to Ireland at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
One week on from their convincing victory in the series opener at Eden Park, the All Blacks came crashing back to reality as Ireland secured their first victory against New Zealand on Kiwi soil.
The win squares the three-test series at one apiece, and sets up a tantalising decider between the two sides to be played at Wellington's Sky Stadium next Saturday.
Speaking post-match, Foster offered his congratulations to Ireland on their achievement, before lamenting basic errors that halted the All Blacks' ability to replicate the successes of Eden Park last week.
"It was a test match of drama, wasn't it?" Foster said. "Firstly, [I want] to just congratulate Ireland on their win.
"They've levelled the series 1-1, and we've got a big week ahead of us. That's, I guess, the exciting part for the series.
"I thought they played really well. The Irish team turned up very desperate.
"We had a couple of starts that were substandard, that we have to improve on. I love the attitude of the team through that chaotic quarter where things were happening, with cards and everything.
"To finish where we finished [in] that first half I thought was a real test of character for us. That try early in the second half hurt us, and trying to play catch-up with 14 men is never easy against a really well organised defensive team.
"There were an unacceptable amount of errors, in terms of handling stuff. A lot of that was due to pressure and trying to force things and trying to create space against what Ireland were doing."
The All Blacks' performance will be a frustrating one for Foster, after watching his side claw their way back into the match after a bizarre first half.
A red card to Angus Ta'avao, and yellows to Leicester Fainga'anuku and Ofa Tuungafasi left the All Blacks forced to defend at times with just 13 players - yet still managed to keep Ireland scoreless.
But a try to Beauden Barrett cut the deficit to just three points, as the All Blacks trailed 10-7 at the break.
However, the second half saw the All Blacks struggle to keep up with Ireland, as ill-discipline and handling errors left the side playing catch up when they were already at a numerical disadvantage.
"We've just got to be better than that," he added. "You get test matches where things don't happen, you don't get the rub of the green.
"We were our own worst enemy in that second half. We've got to be better.
"We can still win with 14 [men], we've just got to trust ourselves, trust what we do and ultimately back your own skill level.
"That's something we've got to go away and work hard on."
Now, like Ireland opposite Andy Farrell did before him, Foster must pick his team up in preparation for next week's decider.
And with seven days to turn the All Blacks' fortunes around, Foster knows exactly what's needed to claim the series in Wellington.
"We'll go back through the same processes in many ways, but the evidence will be pretty simple," he said.
"We didn't turn up with the same intensity [that] we did seven days ago, and the fact is that we showed character. We showed we've got it. We've just got to do it for 80 minutes against a quality team.
"I said at the start, this series is vital for us. It gives us a good chance to see where we're at.
"We know the level of intensity we got to last week, and we certainly got diverted with a few things that happened in this game.
"We've got to deal with that."
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