Ireland flanker Neil Best feels the full force of Mils Muliaina's tackle

"It's very disappointing that we fought so hard for so long and then gave away some silly points in the last 10 minutes," O'Driscoll said.

"We missed some first-up tackles and coughed up some ball.

"You can't expect to beat New Zealand if you do that. It's a disappointed (Irish) dressing room."

O'Driscoll paid tribute to the All Blacks' "resolution, skill and passion in that last 20 minutes to put the game away".

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan also acknowledged that New Zealand dominated the game.

"We didn't get a lot of parity in territory or possession," said O'Sullivan.

We only had five days to prepare for this and we'll be a lot better at Auckland All Blacks captain Richie McCaw

"New Zealand held on to the football for long phases and they just kept on running hard and kept on coming at us."

His New Zealand counterpart Graham Henry was happy with his side's display in the second half.

"I don't think we played the game particularly well in the first half," explained Henry.

"We were rusty and that is understandable. We played a lot better in the second half.

"I thought the Irish boys played well. They attacked us and they have some quality players who exposed us.

"It was a good result but with plenty to work on."

Captain Richie McCaw, leading the side for the first time since succeeding the retired Tana Umaga, said he was proud of his side, and warned Ireland the All Blacks will improve next week.

"We stuck in there and picked up the points when we most needed them," he said. "The big thing was composure and we showed that when it mattered.

"We only had five days to prepare for this and we'll be a lot better at Auckland."