It took many of us at Soldier Field a beat or two to realise something special was happening.
Most eyes were on the New Zealand players as they geared up for the Haka but Ireland were not lining up in their usual manner.
As the first shrill notes rang out and the All Blacks’ eyes bulged, someone to my right proclaimed, “Oh my God. 8 for Foley.”
True enough. The Irish matchday squad were lined up in the figure of 8 in tribute to Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley after his passing just three weeks previous.
It was the jersey Foley had worn with such pride every time he represented Munster red or Irish green.
The crowd – a heady mix of Irish, Kiwis and Americans – cottoned on and the reception at the end was electric.
8 for Anthony Foley.
Pure class. #haka pic.twitter.com/kjRf6JzQEi— SportsJOE.ie (@SportsJOEdotie) November 5, 2016
At the front of the ‘8’ were the four Munster players in the Ireland squad that day – Conor Murray, CJ Stander, Donnacha Ryan and Simon Zebo.
In a moving interview with The Guardian, Murray offered further insight into the tribute and how it felt at the vanguard. Rory Best is said to be the man that promoted the ‘8’ idea but, interestingly, two men with heavy Leinster leanings came up with the concept of having the Munster men front it. Murray said:
“It was a big moment. At first the crowd didn’t know what it was but, slowly, you could hear recognition spreading through them.
“Johnny Sexton and Joe Schmidt had said: ‘Let’s get the Munster lads at the front of the connection.’
“I was at one front with CJ Stander at the other. I didn’t have anyone around me and I was looking at the haka and going, ‘Aaargh! You’re on your own here.’
“But you could sense the crowd feeling it. It gave us a big lift right just before we went out and laid it all on the line. It pushed us even further.”
That it certainly did. Ireland roared into a 30-8 lead before the All Blacks grabbed two second half tries in quick succession. Murray settled the nerves with a 56th minute penalty as Sexton was down getting treatment and won his team an attacking five-metre scrum after a super kick-chase.
Murray says Robbie Henshaw was still screaming at his teammates to keep their head in the game after his 78th try before time and the scoreline [40-29] dawned on him.
“I said [to Robbie], ‘Man, that’s it. It’s the 78th minute. They’re not going to score a try, convert it and score again.’ He was like: ‘You’re right, you’re right.’ We knew then we’d have a good night.”
