A TOUGH night for Andy Farrell's fringe men who were handed a brutal lesson by the fired-up visitors at the RDS.
Perhaps the All Blacks XV selection - with seven full Test players starting - were out for a little vengeance after what happened back home in the summer.
Certainly, they were in no mood to take prisoners or to grant mercy.
READ MORE: All Blacks XV 47-19 Ireland 'A' recap and result as Kiwi's pick up easy win
Before half-time both Joe McCarthy and Michael Lowry were off for HIAs
- Lowry's from a high TJ Perena high tackle that escaped punishment.
The full-back did return for the start of the second half but the hits kept coming, with Lowry (again) and Jack Crowley on the receiving end.
Andy Farrell would have expected no less than the pressure exerted on his cast of hopefuls.
He would have welcomed most of it, particularly the punishing line speed intermittently brought by the Kiwis that left his side breathless.
Following the win and draw against the Maori All Blacks, and the more recent Emerging Ireland victories in South Africa, this was the test the head coach wanted as he builds depth ahead of France 2023.
The likes of Frawley, Casey and Jacob Stockdale will feature in the Test side or squad against Fiji next week.
Given the high quality of the opposition here and their obvious desire to make a statement - particularly winger Shaun Stevenson - the Fiji game should be gravy in comparison.
The home side's best spells came in the second quarter, when they produced an outstanding try, midway through the second half and then on 77 minutes - when Calvin Nash's outrageous off-load set up Max Deegan for his team's third try.
Ireland's no 10 Ciarán Frawley scored Ireland's first five-pointer but had a patchy 47 minutes before being replaced by Crowley.
But then, it is ultra-difficult when facing opponents like these.
They were behind on the scoreboard inside seven minutes. Skipper Craig Casey had no chance in the air against Stevenson, who took Damian McKenzie's cross-kick and strolled in.
The visitors quickly went 14-0 up when hooker Brodie McAlister finished a lineout drive.
It got worse on 25 minutes when Ireland had lineout ball in their rivals' 22, Dave Heffernan over-threw and McKenzie led the All Blacks' breakout before Stevenson dazzled Nick Timoney to score.
The visitors lost Luke Jenkins to the bin and, for Ireland's 37th minute try, off-loads by Cian Prendergast and Tom O'Toole got Frawley over.
The feelgood factor dissipated 30 seconds into the second half when Stevenson took off, found Perenara and Ruben Love coasted over.
The visitors' next try was just as easy on the eye, with Braydon Ennor crossing the whitewash, yet there was some respite for Ireland when Marty Moore crashed over on 59 minutes.
There was a swift response, naturally. AJ Lam got over in the corner two minutes later and, in the 72nd minute, McKenzie was sent clear for his side's seventh try.
At least Deegan - and Nash, with his pass behind his back to Cian Prendergast - gave the fans something to cheer before the death.
IRELAND A: M Lowry, C Nash, J Osborne, J Hume (S Daly 59), J Stockdale, Ciarán Frawley (J Crowley 47), C Casey (C Blade 69), J Loughman (D Kilcoyne 52), D Heffernan (D Barron 52), T O’Toole (M Moore 52), J McCarthy (R Molony 8), Gavin Thornbury, C Prendergast, N Timoney, G Coombes (M Deegan 56).
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