New Zealand's rugby league Tri-Nations hopes may depend on an Irishman not scoring against Australia this morning.
Wigan winger Brian Carney does not sing the national anthem, nor wrap himself in the Union Jack because of his Irish heritage, and New Zealand fans will be hoping he doesn't wrap himself in glory either - helping Britain to a win and shutting the Kiwis out of the series.
However, Carney is such a dangerous player that he may be a key figure in this key match.
He has always been a prolific scorer, but has had such a bad run of injuries that the national side have included him in their plans more in hope than expectation.
The omens were not good. It was almost two months since he had completed a game for Wigan. Even in his first Tri-Nations match against Australia, he had scored a spectacular try in the first half, only to be forced off with a tightening hamstring early in the second.
Last Saturday against the Kiwis at Huddersfield, Carney finally went the full distance, much to his own relief. It was not necessarily his most eye-catching performance, but, with the important part of the Tri-Nations still to come, one of his most significant.
"To the untrained eye, it might seem as though if a winger isn't scoring tries he isn't doing much at all, but a lot of my game revolves around giving the side go-forward from dummy half."
Another part of his job today will be to handle the threat of Australian opposite number, Luke Rooney, compared by his coach, Wayne Bennett, to a young Billy Boston and unable to stop scoring tries since bursting on to the international scene in this tournament.
Carney never forgets where he comes from. He is always keen to point out that the badge on the shirt reads "Great Britain and Ireland". That pride, he finds when recognised at home, cuts both ways. "The Irish are very proud of people who make a fist of things," he says. "I'd like to think I've done that."
- INDEPENDENT
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