The build-up to next week's Rugby World Cup quarter-final between Ireland and New Zealand has well and truly begun, after last night's confirmation of the fixture.
Ireland are now tournament favourites at the bookies after their win over South Africa and demolition of Scotland, but New Zealand have themselves enhanced their own credentials following their 96-17 trouncing of Italy.
While New Zealand have traditionally beaten Ireland with ease at World Cups, Ireland have had their number fairly often in recent years, not least during their 2-1 series summer series win in 2022.
Speaking on Virgin Media TV, Ian Madigan believes that the series win will have a bearing on New Zealand's mindset, and went as far as to say that it 'broke their soul'.
You look back on the Scotland game when Ireland beat them in Murrayfield when we were so disjointed, and that broke their soul.
I think we've broken their soul heading into this game off the back of winning the Summer Tour against them last summer. That's a deep scar.
I think that's going to be a big ego bow for them.
Ian Madigan Back Ireland To Beat New Zealand At World Cup
"I think Joe Schmidt has got nothing to do with it, not anymore."
Brave words... 😅#IREvNZL | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/jJZUVIJg5u
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) October 8, 2023
READ HERE: All Blacks Coach Issues Questionable Judgement Of Ireland v South Africa
New Zealand head coach Ian Foster also touched on that series, but is adamant that his side are vastly improved since then.
“I don’t think we got surprised in that series, but we realised there were a couple of areas that our benchmark wasn’t high enough. We’ve realised we had to make a step shift in a couple of areas to get what we needed to.
“You can’t give top teams a couple of lineout drive tries per game and expect to beat them consistently. We had to work hard in a couple of areas, and I think we did, and we still are. We know we’re going to get massively tested in those areas.
“It was an uppercut we got. We’ve had those uppercuts before, but sometimes you get an uppercut and you happen to come out on the winning side of it.”
