You’d really struggle to name a more motivated side than the Irish one that upset the odds and overturned New Zealand in Chicago just over a week ago.
With the chip on their shoulder of having failed to beat the All Blacks in 111 years combined with the added emotion of playing the first international test since the tragic passing of Ireland legend Anthony Foley, there was no lack of motivating factors on Soldier Field.
But now we know that there was also one force of inspiration in the dressing room that may well have played a part in the historic victory.
Mark Pollock, the County Down rower and adventurer, spoke to Joe Schmidt’s men prior to the game and his back story may well have provided the added oomph required to get over the line against the most intimidating and talented rugby team in the world.
Pollock went completely blind at the age of 22 but managed to win bronze and silver medals for Northern Ireland in the 2002 Commonwealth Rowing Championships
And to mark the 10th anniversary of losing his sight, Pollock made the decision to race 770 km to the South Pole to quench his thirst for adventure.
In 2010, he was tragically paralysed following a fall from a second-storey window but did he give up in face of the latest helping of adversity dealt to him?
Don’t be ridiculous.
That’s not in his DNA.
Pollock remains a living reminder that anything is possible if you set your mind to it and the 40-year-old passed on that philosophy to the Irish rugby team when he met them in Chicago.
“History is filled with the accounts of the impossible, made possible through human endeavour,” Pollock told RTÉ on Monday.
Nope, it wasn't a dream https://t.co/MCeR4nSp2e
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 6, 2016
“The type of human endeavour that took people to the South Pole 100 years ago.
“The type of human endeavour that took astronauts to the moon 50 years ago and the type of human endeavour that I hope will ultimately find the cure for paralysis.
“I told them about what we were doing to try and turn the impossible possible.”
