The attentions of their country may be focused on the oval ball for the next month, but New Zealand soccer boss Anthony Hudson said his men have a duty to make Kiwis proud at the Confederations Cup.
With the Lions currently doing the rounds in the Land of the Long White Cloud ahead of their much-hype three-Test series, Hudson's men head to Russia somewhat under the radar.
However the Englishman - linked with the Norwich job back in March - is taking it very seriously, as he looks to give the natives a reason to get behind his charges.
"Historically in tournaments, we haven't achieved a great deal so the expectation level probably isn't so high," Hudson told RTÉ Sport.
"We have a responsibility to make the country proud in the way in which we play and what we put into the shirt.
"First and foremost when we turn up this tournament and when we play, we play as a team, and the style and type of football we play, we want to make the country proud."
The eight-strong tournament consists of the following year's World Cup hosts, the current World Cup holders, and the winners of the various confederation tournaments from UEFA to CONCACAF.
New Zealand, beaten 1-0 by Northern Ireland in a Windsor Park friendly at the start of the month, travel as winners of the Oceania Nations Cup, and start their tournament against hosts Russia on Saturday.
Hudson hopes to return with his side next year for the World Cup and add another chapter to their legacy on the greatest stage of all: "We've had two situations where we've gone to World Cups and achieved really really special things.
"We feel with the players we have and the young players coming through... we want to be a team that consistently does that, and we feel we can. We've got some right good players in this country.
"This tournament is very important for us. It's important on many levels."
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The Confederations Cup begins this Saturday, 17 June, and you can watch all 16 games live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
