O'Driscoll saw his side fall off the pace in the last quarter

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll says his side have to learn how to close out tight games after they fell to a 21-11 defeat against New Zealand.

With 20 minutes to go, Ireland were level at 11-11 but a late New Zealand surge saw their hopes of a first ever win over the All Blacks disappear.

"It's hugely disappointing. We came so close but we don't seem to be able to finish these games," said O'Driscoll.

"We were well in the game after 60 minutes but we couldn't finish it off."

A lapse in discipline by prop Marcus Horan gave Dan Carter the chance to kick New Zealand into a 14-11 lead, and soon after Ma'a Nonu burst over to effectively end Ireland's chances.

"The second you start chasing the game against the All Blacks is the second they open you up and that is how it turned out," added O'Driscoll, pinpointing Nonu's try as the turning point.

"In games like that, one line break is the difference.

"They got the momentum. We were three points down at that stage and they then got the seven points. A 10-point lead with 15 minutes to go was pretty much unassailable."

I thought the forwards played very well and had the better of the set piece New Zealand coach Graham Henry

The match was played in atrocious conditions in Wellington, with bitter temperatures combining with heavy rainfall to make life exceptionally difficult for the players.

"I don't know if I've played in much colder than that," admitted O'Driscoll, who was visibly shivering as he gave a brief post-match interview on the sidelines.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry agreed that the conditions at the Westpac Stadium virtually ruled out the free-flowing rugby his team were hoping to produce.

"It was a good start really, but impossible conditions," he said.

"The game became a lottery. Players don't play in those conditions very often.

"It's very difficult to try and keep yourself focused in those conditions when you're shaking like a leaf out there and wondering if you'll get through the next five minutes."

Henry praised the performance of his pack, with the All Blacks' dominance in the line-out and, to a lesser extent, the scrum, a key part of their triumph.

"I thought the forwards played very well and had the better of the set piece," said Henry.

"That was a major achievement actually given the number of caps for Ireland. They're a very experienced pack."

New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw added: "It was a tough game and we always knew it would be, but it is still a Test win.

"It's probably the coldest game I've ever played in. I've never got cold out on the field but after half-time I was shivering. It was nasty."

Ireland go on to face Australia in Melbourne next Saturday, while the All Blacks take on England in Auckland.