Ireland v New Zealand is live on RTÉ Two, RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ.ie on Saturday from 2.10pm (kick-off 5.15pm).
Both recent and ancient history is against Ireland, and the crowd is likely to turn up in hope rather than expectation, but the mood in the Irish camp is the great intangible that could swing this the way of the men in green, writes Brendan Cole.
The key to that mood is, of course, Declan Kidney and his coaching team. Kidney's priority must be to mentally re-wire an Ireland side that had become mired in a horrible rut after a few good years under Eddie O'Sullivan.
One thing worth keeping in mind is that, although Kidney's Ireland are giving off a much better vibe, they are still in dangerous territory here; the example of Tom Lehman, who did everything right but still saw his US Ryder Cup team get stuffed at the K-Club, is worth bearing in mind.
Kidney could make all the right moves and still lose by a big total.
But the rewards are similarly enormous; a victory under lights at Croke Park accompanied by a symbolic re-connection of the team and the crowd would get this World Cup cycle off to a dream start. With Kidney at the helm, the type of special achievement that has hallmarked his career can never be discounted.
The method by which he seems to have decided on going about this does inspire hope.
New Zealand need to be matched physically and this Irish pack has the ammunition to do that. Alan Quinlan, Paul O'Connell and Donncha O'Callaghan have it in them to make every breakdown a pain in the arse for the All Blacks.
On attacking ball, the fact that David Wallace is not a 'breakaway' in the classic number seven sense has been mentioned by many but if Ireland are clever about how they structure their play that need not be an issue. It's a question of having a man or two ready to ruck wherever an attack is likely to breakdown and in the trio mentioned above, Rory Best and Jamie Heaslip and the likes of Brian O'Driscoll in the backs - who can secure ball whether he is carrying or supporting - Ireland have enough men to ensure a certain amount of decent go forward - if they are smart about it. David Wallace has not been picked to take on Richie McCaw in a one-on-one ground battle.
Quinlan in particular has a similar ability to the All Black captain to make a mess of opposition rucks (though he might not arrive on the scene quite so promptly) and O'Callaghan has also got proven nuisance value.
Wallace, meanwhile, will be expected to lead the effort to get New Zealand wobbling in the tight. O'Connell and Heaslip must also be to the fore there. If Ireland achieve that - good rucking, strong tight carrying and also run a slick lineout, it would represent a tremendous platform.
If the structures are right, work ethic will decide it and it is a feature of this pack that they look like they could outwork, or at least match New Zealand in that facet of the game. There's no doubting that it is a huge ask, but it is what teams who beat the All Blacks do.
Equally as important as whether Ireland can match New Zealand in the push and shove battles is where those battles take place - cue the out-halves.
Dan Carter has the pace and power of a centre but also a big boot. He is not, however, quite as accurate or canny as Ronan O'Gara.
It's a fascinating contest and one in which the back threes will also play a huge role.
Girvan Dempsey is without a doubt something of a surprise pick given that Rob Kearney played like the best in the world from full-back in New Zealand. However, Dempsey will do virtually everything right and that must be mighty hard for a coach to leave out. Kearney, meanwhile, should still be able to contribute, if not to quite the same degree. Tommy Bowe on the other wing has never looked confident in an Irish jersey but the hope must be that this new regime will reverse that. He has been one of the best wings in the Celtic League and should have nothing to fear.
In the centres, O'Driscoll was arguably Ireland's worst performer against Canada but that is hardly unexpected given the low stakes. New Zealand v BOD will always have a special significance given the events of a certain Lions Tour. If Ireland are to win a match like this, O'Driscoll at his best is a must. Luke Fitzgerald's size will surely not have gone unnoticed in the New Zealand bootroom and he may be seen as a target.
However, any video analysis should also reveal that the Blackrock man has phenomenal timing, technique and strength in the tackle. New Zealand should not expect anything easy down his channel.
Ireland's bench also looks game-plan oriented - Tony Buckley (once the scrum has settled) Stephen Ferris and Keith Earls in particular could make pattern changing interventions in their own ways.
However, it must be said New Zealand can win this match any number of ways - whereas Ireland's pathways to victory are far less numerous.
Carter's control, the all round power of the pack, the mix of penetration and nous in the centres, the defence, and the ability to shut down other teams on the deck through McCaw are all potential match-winners.
On the other hand, Ireland tick a lot of boxes and after 5pm at Croke Park - with Kidney at the tiller - it would almost be a surprise to see more than a score in it by the end.
IRELAND v NEW ZEALAND, Test international, Croke Park, Saturday at 5.15pm:
Ireland: G Dempsey; T Bowe, B O'Driscoll, L Fitzgerald, R Kearney; R O'Gara. T O'Leary; M Horan, R Best, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, A Quinlan, D Wallace, J Heaslip. Replacements: J Flannery, T Buckley, S Ferris, S Jennings, E Reddan, P Wallace, K Earls.
New Zealand: M Muliaina, J Rokocoko, C Smith, M Nonu, S Sivivatu, D Carter, J Cowan, T Woodcock, K Mealamu, N Tialata, B Thorn, A Williams, J Kaino, R McCaw (capt), R So'oialo. Replacements: C Flynn, J Afoa, A Boric, K Read, P Weepu, S Donald, I Toeava.
