Ireland have already made their way to Chicago for their fixture against New Zealand on Saturday week, giving the squad an abundance of time to prepare for their second meeting with the All Blacks on American soil.
Donnacha Ryan was a member of the Ireland starting XV nine years ago and he believes Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has seemingly learned from the disjointed preparation that preceded the seismic Irish victory in Soldier’s Field.
“We went into camp, and I think we trained on the Monday and Tuesday we flew over,” said Ryan. “[On the] Thursday, we had booked a training pitch, but unfortunately, for whatever reason, the pitch was destroyed, so we couldn’t really train on it, as it was full of rocks. So, we went back to the car park and did a clarity session.”
Despite this setback, Ryan and his team-mates would go on to etch their names in the history books by becoming the first Irish team to beat New Zealand as they ran out 40-29 winners in the windy city.
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Chicago was in a fever pitch as a 108-year wait for World Series baseball success had come to an end when the Chicago Cubs came back from 3-1 down to win the final three games to beat the Cleveland Indians.
Ryan, now an assistant to his former Ireland and Munster team-mate Ronan O’Gara at La Rochelle, remembers that the atmosphere in the city had rubbed off on the Irish players in the build-up to the game against the All Blacks.
“We were well aware of what we needed to do. The atmosphere from Chicago winning the World Series [was amazing], but obviously there are loads of Irish there too. Before the game it was incredible.”
The build-up was like nothing ever experienced by Ryan as Ireland took the presidential route through the city to the stadium.
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Ireland had suffered some near misses against New Zealand, the one that rankled the most being in November 2013 when Ryan Crotty infamously scored a try in the 81st minute to break Irish hearts in Dublin.
For Ryan, though, it was another near-miss that stood out.
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“We were very close in 2012,” he said. “The second Test down in Christchurch, we let that slip away. I firmly believe, and I know it is easy to say it now, but we literally had them on the rack.”
As the haka was performed in Chicago, Ireland paid tribute to the late Anthony Foley, who had died just a few weeks earlier, bringing an added emotional dimension to the occasion.
“On the pitch the energy, normally you feel like you get tired as the game goes on,” Ryan explained. “But as we went through and scored more, we kept growing into the game.
“We have had games against New Zealand before where we had started well. And then, there is a moment where they get a bit of belief or we doubt ourselves, and then the rub of the green goes against us.
“I think [on this occasion] it was their first try. It got a poxy bounce, and they scored a try, and that literally sums up the All Blacks from other previous games that were close.”
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Alarm bells sounded as the All Blacks clawed the score back to 33-29 with a quarter of an hour remaining, despite trailing by 17 points at half-time.
But Robbie Henshaw ensured this would be a famous day for Irish rugby, breaking free from the chokehold the All Blacks had over them for 111 years with his try in the final five minutes. Ireland have since secured four victories over New Zealand, including a Test Series win in 2022.
Ryan will be a keen spectator this time from the comfort of his home in France, hopeful Ireland can open their autumn international series with a victory.
“I was incredibly lucky to be part of it,” he added. “And it goes to show you the prep wasn’t what it was supposed to be during the week, but the group was very tight.”
