Ireland first met New Zealand in 1905 and this evening's game is their 39th encounter but their rivalry stretches back just nine years.
Up to the point where Ireland first got one over on the All Blacks, in 2016 at Soldier Field, it had been a rivalry in name only.
Sure, Ireland have been close; there was a draw in 1973, a three-point defeat in 2012 and a two-point reverse in 2013, but they just couldn't close the deal.
Former captain Brian O’Driscoll used to say that they’ll never respect you until you beat them, and he was right.
The series win in New Zealand in 2022 elevated even further the status in which the All Blacks held Ireland and it came back to haunt Andy Farrell’s side in 2023.
The bear had been poked and when the sides met in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final, it was the three-time winners who played like they had a point to prove.
Once again, when it truly mattered, the Kiwis had the Indian sign over their newfound peers.
But this game, even with its mix of novelty and nostalgia - dubbed the "Battle of Chicago, round two" by Farrell has a sense of a new chapter in the very healthy rivalry, with even the head coach acknowledging that the countdown to World Cup 2027 starts in this window.
Between the two starting XVs, only 13 remain from last year’s clash, Ireland have seven changes and New Zealand 10.
Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray, all now retired, came off the bench at Aviva Stadium in the 23-13 loss, while Hugo Keenan, Joe McCarthy and Mack Hansen are injured.
Leinster-bound Reiko Ioane, who had a run in with Johnny Sexton after the 2023 match and led the Haka (below) 12 months ago, is not in the match-day squad and winger Caleb Clarke reckons it's time to turn the page.
"I know when we went there last year there was a story around Sexton and Rieks and lucky there's a few clear pages this time, and we can just go out there and stand and bang with those guys," he said.
Ireland are big on 'learnings’ and in that regard have plenty of material to work off from last season’s defeat, in which Damian McKenzie kicked six penalties in a man-of-the-matching showing.
They had no cutting edge, making just one line break to New Zealand’s nine.
Thirty missed tackles and 13 penalties conceded (to their opponent’s five) tells the story of a team just not on it.
Farrell was asked what his side, almost six-point underdogs tonight, need to change this time.
"Plenty of stuff," he admitted.
"When people talk about lack of game time or whatever, mainly it's game sharpness and most of that is mental.
"Switching off, getting yourself into position, giving a penalty away where you've lost a few moments, lapses of concentration, those things tend to get sharper as you go.
"We need to realise that early doors. With the way that we've trained and prepared etc, and be ready to be better mentally."
Jack Crowley has got the nod at out-half and Tommy O’Brien, on his third cap, and Ryan Baird have been handed huge chances to stake their claims in their biggest Tests to date.
Leinster loosehead Paddy McCarthy is set for his debut off the bench.
Stuart McCloskey, at 33, wins just his 22nd cap, and along with O’Brien and Jamie Osborne, presents something of a curveball for the All Blacks to deal with.
The concern is that Ireland are too lightly raced in comparison to a New Zealand side coming off the back of a highly competitive Rugby Championship in which they finished second, and as a result leapfrogged Ireland up to second in the world rankings.
But with 16 Leinster players in the squad who massively underperformed against Munster, Farrell has that card in his deck – his ability to see where the players are at and draw a big performance when it’s needed – what are the chances that such seasoned internationals fail to turn up for two big games in a row?
Add in the Tadhg Beirne factor – the best of the British and Irish Lions is on fire – and you sense that there’s a big performance coming.
"If you are in a good place mentally, physically the body will follow even if people think it's underdone slightly because of lack of game time," added Farrell, who took a sabbatical after last November’s games to take charge of the Lions.
"I don't believe that. These lads are fit, the challenge is for them to be mentally sharp, to be ahead of the game."
Where exactly Scott Robertson’s side are is hard to gauge.
They finished level on points with the Springboks in the Rugby Championship but within that suffered a defeat to Argentina and a record thumping at the hands of South Africa in Wellington where they were savaged up front.
IRELAND v NEW ZEALAND - All you need to know
The absence of locks Tupou Vaa'i and Patrick Tuipulotu, and prop Tyrel Lomax, chimes with the 2016 tie when both Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick were injured.
Scott Barrett, who made his debut on that day, and Fabian Holland fill in but as usual, New Zealand still have threats all over the park.
Will Jordan, who has scored on all five previous games against Ireland, Jordie and Beauden Barrett, and Ardie Savea are match-winners in their own right.
Restricting their front-foot ball and space during transition is key.
The two Barrett backs have scored 49 and 48 points against Ireland, respectively, and the former was something of a spy in the camp during his stint with Leinster last season.
"He’s got a coach’s eye," Robertson said of Jordie’s Leinster-Ireland intel.
"He understands details really well.
"He just chips in where he needs to, not too much, but in some key areas and parts of their identity that we need to understand to know how they’re going to play. So it’s been invaluable."
Apart from last year’s underwhelming affair, recent Ireland v New Zealand match-ups have been high-quality blockbusters with the result in doubt coming down the stretch.
Another one of those would be most welcome.
Verdict: Ireland by six
Ireland: Jamie Osborne; Tommy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Paddy McCarthy, Finlay Bealham, Iain Henderson, Caelan Doris, Craig Casey, Sam Prendergast, Bundee Aki.
New Zealand: Will Jordan; Leroy Carter, Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke; Beauden Barrett, Cam Roigard; Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell; Scott Barrett (capt), Fabian Holland; Simon Parker, Ardie Savea, Peter Lakai.
Replacements: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Tamaiti Williams, Pasilio Tosi, Josh Lord, Wallace Sititi, Cortez Ratima, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Damian McKenzie.
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
