New Zealand hooker Dane Coles says his team can't wait to pit their wits against "the best team in the world at the moment" in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final.
The three-time winners of the competition go into the last-eight match with Ireland in the rare position of underdog such is the recent form of Andy Farrell’s Ireland.
The All Blacks, who hadn’t tasted defeat to Ireland prior to 2016 and won the corresponding fixture four years ago convincingly, have bounced back from their opening pool defeat to hosts France, yet questions linger over how far Ian Foster’s side can go given their patchy form over the last two years.
The world's number one ranked side Ireland on the other hand are looking to make it 18 Test victories in a row, a run that started with two wins on New Zealand soil last summer.
Having notched just two wins in their last half a dozen outings against Ireland, hooker Coles says that the opportunity to take on the Six Nations grand slam winners is one the squad is looking forward to.
"We love that it’s Ireland," he told reporters.
"They’ve been the best team in the world and there are a few scars with us losing to them. You can’t hide from that fact. It’s a really good opportunity to play them.
"They are the benchmark. The All Blacks were the benchmark for a long time. But to come up short in your home country was more than a kick in the guts. Every time you lose in an All Blacks jersey it does leave a little scar."
Cole was part of the 2015 World Cup-winning squad and set-up a try after his introduction in the 46-14 quarter-final win over Ireland in Tokyo four years ago.
Should he come off the bench at the Stade de France, he will win his 90th cap. He has played down the significance of the possibility of it being his last game in the famous black jersey, and instead is focused entirely on the game.
Asked about the defeats to Ireland last summer and the team’s stuttering form at times under Foster, Coles said: "We had to look at ourselves. We’re trying to get back to the top. [Ireland] have been the benchmark for a few years now.
"You want to play the best teams – there’s no shying away from that. It’s a World Cup. We’re looking forward to it."
Follow a live blog of Ireland v New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday with kick-off 8pm. Listen to live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1.
Watch England v Fiji and France v South Africa in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow live blogs on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app
