The Irish are coming. In fact they have already arrived. Paris will be increasingly packed with tens of thousands of Ireland fans for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against the mighty All Blacks, widely regarded as the most significant fixture in the team’s history.
Andy Farrell’s side have an opportunity to achieve what no Irish team has done and reach the semi-finals. The history books may show seven defeats in seven last-eight ties, but there is a gathering feeling things will be different this time.
It is undoubtedly Ireland’s best chance of a deep tournament run: they defeated the world champions, South Africa, in the pool phase, and have won five of their past eight matches against the three-time champions New Zealand.
The Irish bars on Boulevard Poissonnière, close to the Arc de Triomphe, were relatively quiet at lunchtime on Thursday – the calm before the weekend’s friendly storm – but Farrell’s team are well represented at Corcoran’s.
“This is our first beer, midday, so it’s not too bad,” says Ronan Dunleavy, 25, from Kilmovee in County Mayo. “This is the warm-up. An Irish breakfast and a few pints now, and we’ll slowly go round the city. It’s easy to get around the city, too. The Metro’s brilliant. Two euros to get anywhere.”
With the itinerary arranged for the day, then, how are the nerves before the seismic encounter? “I’d say if Ireland play the same way that they’ve played the whole competition, they should win,” says Dunleavy. “But I just feel that there could be … I don’t know. It could be too good to be true.”
“It’s the All Blacks, isn’t it?” says Dunleavy’s companion James Gallagher, 23, who also hails from Kilmovee in the west of Ireland, close to Knock Airport. “That’s always the fear.”
Conor Murray, Ireland’s replacement scrum-half on Saturday, was asked this week about the influence of the travelling green army.
“I was chatting to Scotland’s Chris Harris after the game [last Saturday]. He said: ‘You know your fans, they’re a thing now. People are talking about them.’
“Getting the bus into the stadium on match days is spine-tingling,” Murray said. “A lot of us have been around a while, and played in big stadiums and big occasions, but this is definitely another level.”
The Cranberries’ 1994 song Zombie has rung around the Stade de France following stirring victories against South Africa and Scotland. “We had 60,000 at the Scotland game,” says Dunleavy. “Unreal.”
“To get to that stage with a win is certainly a little part of our motivation, to hear that again,” adds Murray. “To give those fans, who’ve gone deep into their pockets to keep turning up, week in, week out. They deserve something special. It really feels like a home game in that stadium at the moment.”
“It’s been an awfully enjoyable couple of years,” says Dunleavy of Ireland’s recent exploits. “We go to a good few of the Six Nations games. This is our third time in Paris. We were here when Johnny Sexton hit the drop-goal [against France in 2018], right behind the goal. So hopefully something like that again, now, on Saturday …”
Is there any danger they might get into any trouble, being identified as having a few drinks in Paris? “Not one bit,” says Dunleavy. “Not a bother.” “We’re known for having pints,” offers Gallagher. Roll on Saturday.
