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Ireland made rugby history by confronting the haka before a match against New Zealand in 1989. The Maori dance, long associated with the All Blacks and known for its intimidating effect on opponents, was met with an unprecedented response from Ireland nearly four decades ago. The Irish team is gearing up to face New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago this Saturday, a venue where they celebrated a remarkable 40-29 victory in 2016 . Recent clashes between the two sides have sparked a modern rivalry in the sport , with Ireland winning five of their last 10 encounters. Andy Farrell will be aiming to guide his team to another memorable win on American soil as Ireland kick off their autumn internationals. The squad enjoyed summer victories over Portugal and Georgia, following their Six Nations campaign, where they won four out of five matches but were defeated by France. A match against New Zealand presents a unique challenge. The pre-match haka has had its intended impact on many teams over the years, while some opponents have opted to ignore or confront the ritual. However, no team had ever directly challenged the dance until Ireland's controversial decision in 1989. As the haka began, the Irish team began edging towards their opponent's side of the pitch. By the end of the haka, Irish captain Willie Anderson found himself standing nose-to-nose with All Blacks leader Buck Shelford. "The march forward was spur of the moment stuff. It just felt right," Anderson wrote for the Irish Independent in 2021. "They were able to stomp their feet and make all sorts of gestures and we had to stand there and admire them?". "No, I wasn't having that. But it rattled some of our lads who weren't sure how it was going to end. Davy [Irwin] and Phil [Matthews] managed to find a balance between supporting the cause and not starting World War III! Not easy in the circumstances. If everyone had taken my lead it would have been mayhem. "I wasn't thinking about that at the time. It was incredible how quickly the mood escalated. In an instant the crowd were on board and my heart was beating out of my chest. Thankfully we hadn't made contact before Shelford got to the last line, by which point the crowd were going mental. I was nose to nose with [Buck Shelford]." He continued: "Honestly I've never been as pumped in all my life. My adrenaline rating would have been off the charts. "But the thing about laying down a challenge to New Zealand is you need the tools to back it up. As we ran over to the East Stand side it felt like that's exactly what we were going to do." Sadly for Ireland, their unprecedented actions didn't result in a win. The team suffered a 32-6 defeat, but their defiance at Lansdowne Road has since become an iconic moment in sports history. Farrell is hoping to mastermind another unforgettable performance against New Zealand on Saturday. The last time Ireland triumphed over the All Blacks was during a thrilling 32-22 victory in Wellington, which decided their three-match tour of New Zealand. Ireland are gearing up to take on an All Blacks team who just missed out on the Rugby Championship to South Africa on points difference. The All Blacks had a mixed bag of results, suffering a loss in one of their two matches against Argentina and sharing victories with the Springboks before celebrating consecutive wins over Australia .
