Irish hooker Rory Best hopes to boost nation with win over All Blacks
Irish hooker Rory Best believes that Ireland can beat New Zealand and lift the nation as a result. Ireland plays the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday 20 November.
New Zealand goes into the match as massive favourites after impressing in their last match with a 49-3 win against Scotland.
In contrast, Ireland struggled to overcome Samoa in their last match and only managed to record a 20-10 win.
Best believes that by beating New Zealand, the country would be given a lift. Speaking at a press conference Best said, “I think a win would boost the country. Doing something that has never been done before would give everyone a big lift throughout the
island.”
The Ulster forward stated that their successful Six Nations campaign was a positive for the country during the recession in Ireland in 2009. “When we did the Grand Slam a couple of years ago, it was a big lift and this is an equally big challenge for us.
The people of Ireland love to see a national team doing well, they love to get behind it. We are very hopeful we can get a result that will lift everyone tomorrow.”
Ireland will have to be at their best if they are to record a famous win over the All Blacks, and Best accepted that Ireland would face a massive challenge on Saturday. “New Zealand are the best team in the world. To beat the best, you have to be somewhere
near your best on the day. We know that and we will be looking for big improvements. There is that desire to have a performance this autumn,” said Best.
The hooker admitted that Ireland were extremely confident going into the match, despite their poor form. “We have a lot of belief in ourselves. We’ve looked long and hard at ourselves over the last two games,” said Best.
A victory over the All Blacks would lead to mass celebrations in Dublin.
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