Ireland have the playing pedigree but will also have to contend with the emotions of the date when they face the US in New Plymouth tomorrow, the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Under normal circumstances Ireland would not expect to be bothered by the American Eagles, and the match would be a useful work-out before the crucial pool encounters with Australia and Italy which lie ahead.
They have been buoyed by the return to fitness of center Gordon D’Arcy, while captain Brian O’Driscoll with 116 Tests is the most experienced player in the tournament and only Cian Healy with an eye injury was not available.
On paper, the match-up between the Six Nations side and the world’s 18th-ranked team offers Ireland an ideal opportunity to snap a four-game losing streak.
But Ireland are wary of a US side fired up for the occasion with both teams wearing black armbands and observing a minute’s silence before kickoff.
The Eagles will also attend church a few hours before the game, for what will be one of the first memorial services to commemorate the anniversary, because of New Zealand’s proximity to the international dateline.
“Obviously it’s a pretty momentous day for them,” Irish fullback Geordan Murphy said.
“They’ll be charged, by that I’m sure, but from an Irish point of view, we’ll have to make sure we at least match their physicality and intensity, especially in that first 10 minutes,” he added.
The Eagles also have an added weapon in coach Eddie O’Sullivan, who linked with the US squad after resigning as Irish coach in 2008 and will have “a lot of insider knowledge,” Murphy said.
However, O’Sullivan also has to make sure his players are able to focus on the game.
“It’s going to be emotional, I think. For me, part of my job is to contain the emotion. If they get too emotional, they’ll make mistakes, and if they make mistakes they’ll pay a big price,” he said.
Eagles scrum-half Mike Petri was at school in Manhattan on the day of the attacks and knows the full significance of the 10-year anniversary, after seeing the smoking rubble of the Twin Towers first-hand as he returned home.
“Ten years ago, that was a dark day for everyone, you never forget something like that,” he said.
“It’s a huge honor for us to represent our country on that day. Hopefully we can do justice, in more ways than one, certainly, and connect with a lot of the rugby community in America that was affected,” he said.
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