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Rugby

31st Oct 2016

PICS: Irish players look in relaxed form ahead of flight to Chicago

What is Jack McGrath wearing on his face?

SportsJOE

Ready, set, Instagram!

The Ireland team are jetting off to Chicago this evening and just before take-off there was a mass spate of social media activity, with the likes of Jamie Heaslip, Simon Zebo and Conor Murray sharing snaps of the on-board craic before flicking to ‘flight mode’.

Touching down in the Windy City late Monday night, Joe Schmidt’s men will get down to the serious work of preparing for the first of four November internationals.

The international window kicks off with a bang in Soldier Field on Saturday – an historic Test on American soil against the back-to-back World Cup winning All Blacks.

Staying in a hotel owned by Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump, the team will train at the University of Illinois ahead of the team being named on Thursday.

Before that they have a nine-hour flight to the American midwest to contend with. No 8 Jamie Heaslip will entertain himself with American chef Anthony Bourdain’s account of life in the New York culinary scene, ‘Kitchen Confidential’, while Sean Cronin appears to be playing with fellow front-rower Jack McGrath’s inhaler mask.

A relaxed looking Joey Carbery may while away the time contemplating the possibility of making his Test debut from the bench against a team chasing a record 19th straight win…

Pass the oxygen mask.

#homeadvantage with a little help from @aerlingus en route to soldier field

A photo posted by Jamie Heaslip (@jamieheaslip) on

Ready to fly, 2 pinners Chicago bound! @irishrugby #teamofus

A photo posted by Cian Healy (@properchurch) on

✈️?? #HomeAdvantage #murica #makeamericasaneagain ☘️ @aerlingus

A photo posted by jordimurphy (@jordimurphy) on

 

A few excited fellas ready for ?? #homeadvantage @aerlingus

A photo posted by Conor Murray (@conormurray9) on

Time for Chicago ?? entertaining flight ahead no doubt with this crew ✈️✈️

A photo posted by Simon Zebo (@simonzebo15) on

? ✈️ #HomeAdvantage @aerlingus

A photo posted by Rob Kearney (@robkearney) on