IT is one of those occasions that makes you plunder history for examples of famous triumphs against the odds, David taking down Goliath, Horatio on the bridge, the Battle of Agincourt, Dana . . .

Perhaps Henry V leading the English to victory on the fields of France is the most relevant in terms of this evening's meeting between Ireland and New Zealand at Croke Park (5.15).

Brian O'Driscoll leads his men out for the 50th time, a remarkable achievement, and while, rhetorically, he is more "let's cut down the mistakes, guys" than "once more unto the breach" O'Driscoll, like England's warrior king, has a 'do as I do' quality that inspires those around him.

If Ireland are to make a mockery of their 9/2 outsider status, a stand-out performance by O'Driscoll would be a good place to start. He has produced some excellent displays for Leinster this season, but was not on top of his game last week against Canada.

It mattered not against the hopelessly outclassed Canadians, and O'Driscoll's presence was important for youngsters like Keith Earls and Luke Fitzgerald seeking solid footing on the international stage.

While O'Driscoll wears the No 13 on his back, he and Fitzgerald will switch between the inside and outside centre channels frequently, as they did last weekend.

Fitzgerald is a decent tackler but he is giving away three stone to the 16-and-a-half-stone Ma'a Nonu, who will be charging down the channel between Ireland out-half Ronan O'Gara and his first centre.

Big hits

O'Driscoll is the better bet to stop Nonu at source and a couple of big hits on the giant Kiwi could have a Seamus Dennison-esque, galvanising effect on his team-mates.

At yesterday's press conference, Ireland's captain gave off an aura of calm confidence and the 29-year-old dismissed speculation about his well-being after a laboured kick chase last week raised fears about the state of his hamstrings.

"I'm fine, it's just old age catching up with me. It's nice to have a rest now and then."

He was also quick to play down talk of Ireland recording their first victory over the All Blacks in 103 years. "It's all ifs and could-bes. I'm not a believer in scaling things one to 10 in terms of the achievements I have managed in my career. Really, the time for that is at the end of my career. There are always new challenges. Certainly it would be fantastic to beat them, but let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Sagely said, for while Declan Kidney and his backroom team have brought energy and enthusiasm to the squad, it is early days in the rebuilding process and New Zealand look to be too much too soon.

Given the feel-good factor in the Ireland camp, it could be argued that we have never been in a better position to defeat New Zealand, having home advantage in a stadium that will rock with patriotic fervour for every Irish insurgence, along with the timing of the game at the end of a long southern hemisphere season. Unfortunately, the All Blacks have rarely been in a better position to deny them.

For all the talk of post-World Cup redevelopment and Kiwi hand-wringing over the loss of high-profile stars to European clubs, this New Zealand side boasts over 600 caps and has quality in every area.

Ireland bring plenty of quality themselves, but it is almost case of 'anything you can do, we can do better' as, no matter how effective the likes of David Wallace, Donncha O'Callaghan or O'Gara, their New Zealand counterparts Richie McCaw, Brad Thorn and Dan Carter have the ability to trump them.

However, the gap between the Irish players and their All Blacks opposites is not as wide as it has been, and New Zealand coach Graham Henry is taking no chances with a fixture that could have career-ending implications for him if his men lose.

"We respect Ireland, we think they're a very strong side and we selected a side accordingly," he said yesterday.

"The Irish have got some players who can make some significant inroads in this game. They've toured well, they played well in Wellington on a terrible night in June and they played exceptionally well in Australia and were probably very unfortunate not to win that game. I think they'll play right up to the best of their ability tomorrow and hopefully we're able to handle it."

The dream scenario of a home win requires the visitors under-performing by as much as 40pc, a McCaw-negating showing by South African referee Mark Lawrence, and an Irish display to rank with the best of the professional era.

That requires a solid set-piece and, despite the filthy conditions, the signs were encouraging last weekend that forwards coach Gert Smal is returning the Irish line-out to its status of several seasons ago, when it was a certainty rather than lottery.

The scrum is more of a worry. Tony Woodcock and Neemia Tialata are formidable front- rows, buttressed by the support of their 35-stone second-row pairing of Thorn and Ali Williams. However, John Hayes and Marcus Horan have proved they can mix it with the best, notably when earning Ireland a penalty try in Paris last season.

Defence will also be critical and we can expect a high home tackle count.

Kidney and defence coach Les Kiss have placed a priority on tackling with this selection. Tomas O'Leary's fringe defence has stood out during his displays for Munster, even when he was faced by the bulk of Byron Kelleher in last May's Heineken Cup final. David Wallace not only has to contend with the scavenging skills of McCaw, he also has to help police the Irish midfield when the All Blacks target O'Gara.

The kicking game will also have a significant bearing on the outcome and, in this regard, Ireland may have a slight edge due to O'Gara's long-standing skill with the boot and his familiarity with the surroundings.

Finally, the Irish must play with a verve and manic intensity that has characterised their greatest performances down through the years.

From analysis of the team-sheets, the logical conclusion is that Ireland will rattle the All Blacks' cage, be hanging in after 65 minutes before the New Zealanders produce a moment of class to seal a 10-15 point victory.

However, the Kidney factor cannot be discounted.

He has a record of upsetting the odds -- U-19 World Cup in 1998, Toulouse in 2000, Gloucester in 2004 -- and will have his men in the optimum mental state by kick-off.

Then it's over to O'Driscoll and his cohorts. Given the quality of the combatants, the gladiatorial setting, the numerous battles within a battle, and the prospect of Alan Quinlan and Paul O'Connell side by side staring down the Haka, this is truly an occasion to savour.

If Kidney can log another entry in the against-all-odds ledger, it will be one we will never forget.

Verdict: All Blacks 30 Ireland 17