RUGBY:THE PRE-MATCH pageantry alone ought to be something. Brian O'Driscoll leading out Ireland for the 50th time against the world's most renowned and revered team for a shot at sporting immortality, three national anthems and then the haka; no doubt to be followed soon after by The Fields. Croker or the rest of us will never see the like of it again.

If this game even comes close to justifying the tingle of expectation which has been building all week in the streets and pubs then it should be something.

With that tingle has come a new-found optimism among Irish supporters that had simply evaporated throughout much of last season. No man would detest being hailed as a messiah more than Declan Kidney and, besides, it's almost illogical, for there must be a reason why Ireland have never beaten the All Blacks in 21 attempts and 103 years.

It's also hard to ignore that Ireland have lost 10 of their last 16 matches (and those in the win column are Italy at home twice, Scotland at home, Namibia, Georgia and Canada), whereas New Zealand have won their last five in claiming both the Tri-Nations and the Bledisloe Cup. So the All Blacks have regained their status as the world's foremost side, whereas Ireland have slipped to eighth in those suddenly all-important world rankings.

It's hardly any wonder therefore that Ireland are 9 to 2 and 13-point underdogs. After the profound psychological trauma of the World Cup, New Zealand saw a host of frontliners take flight to buy themselves new wallets in Europe. But the side that takes the field today is a powerful all-round team, apparently the third most experienced they've ever put on any paddock, any time, any where. How on earth did they do that? Only they could.

Every one of the All Blacks starting are aged between 25 and 29, save for the remarkable Brad Thorn. True, Ireland have a greater blend of experience (six thirtysomethings) and youth (four under 25) and hence a cap haul of 642 which is marginally greater than the visitors' 617. Tellingly, though, the All Blacks have accumulated 178 tries in their Test careers, whereas Ireland have scored 111.

Potency seeps through them, whether it be Keven Mealamu's dynamic footwork or the simply phenomenal Prince of Thieves/lineout option/restart chaser/tackler/ball carrier/try scorer/captain that is Richie McCaw.

And then there's Dan the Man Carter, whose running threat decided the Wellington Test and so many others this years, not to mention the balance and power of Ma'a Nonu or the scarily prolific outside three (75 Test tries between them).

The All Blacks could be behind and under pressure for much of the afternoon, but retain their composure and belief before striking stealthily.

That's been the way of things on the last three occasions the sides have met, when Ireland came within today's 13-point handicap. And they were all in the Land of the Long White Cloud, whereas this couldn't be more Irish terra firma.

Kidney and his new wise men have, it seems, picked an Irish side to play Irish rugby. Alan Quinlan is there to help target the Mealamu throw and be a thorn in the Black sides with his playing-on-the-edge nuisance value.

The back three of Girvan Dempsey, Tommy Bowe and Rob Kearney, like several others, have all played Gaelic in their formative years and have the skills to play the aerial and percentage games.

Defensively it looks like a strong side, capable of making the higher tackle count - which they'll probably have to do.

Most of all, one suspects, the gameplan will be about applying constant pressure, continually throwing up two or three pods on the Mealamu throw, twisting and turning the scrum, competing ferociously at the breakdown (where referee Mark Lawrence's interpretations could be crucial), kicking cleverly and chasing hard.

The bench are clearly a major part of the strategy, with Jerry Flannery and Stephen Ferris at least likely to enter the stage before the hour mark to maintain the tempo, while they've a rabbit in their hat in Keith Earls.

It's all about feeding off the emotion of the occasion, but channelling it.

"You need it for all games, sometimes you can be under-adrenalised and you don't perform too well," observed Kidney yesterday. "Sometimes you can be over-adrenalised and it can be a problem too. When you're playing the best team in the world don't expect to find too many chinks, we have to play for 80 minutes."

These All Blacks do concede tries, and even the Scots made several line breaks last week but hadn't the finishing power. Ireland may require a near vintage Brian O'Driscoll performance, but the captain's non-participation in the run-out at Croke Park yesterday added to concerns that he is carrying an injury. He laughed it off afterwards. "I'm fine, it's just old age catching up on me. It's nice to have a rest now and again."

Nine of the starting line-up survive from the win over England, which increasingly looks like a peak of sorts, when, as O'Driscoll noted yesterday, there was more history attached to the occasion. "There was a lot more than sport involved in that."

The significance of the occasion, you can be sure, won't be lost on the All Blacks. "There's always an edge in a rugby Test match. (But) I think there's probably more edge this week because of the significance of the game," admitted Graham Henry. "I think the Irish are a very strong side, we're playing in a venue which is very historic, it's quite emotional, you've got to control those emotions. I think that's hugely significant. It's a pleasure for the All Blacks to play there, so hopefully we can put on a good display."

The nagging suspicion remains that from one to 15 they have the superior ball skills, the appreciation of space and opportunities, especially off counterattacks, turnovers or broken plays, and that one of their stellar duo or someone else will come up with the big plays to decide the outcome.

They usually do, after all.

But either way Ireland should at least rattle their cage and it should be a rollicking good ride.

Match referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa); Touch judges: Jonathan Kaplan (SA), Cobus Wessels (SA); Technical monitor: Johan Meuwesen (SA).

Overall Head-to-Head: Played 21, Ireland 0 wins, 1 draw, New Zealand 20 wins.

Betting (Paddy Power): 9/2 Ireland, 33/1 Draw, 1/5 New Zealand. Handicap odds (= Ireland +13pts) 10/11 Ireland, 25/1 Draw, 10/11 New Zealand.

Forecast: New Zealand to win.