A dejected All Blacks side after losing to Ireland in Chicago in 2016. Ireland have never beaten the All Blacks in Ireland. Photo: Photosport
The All Blacks take on Ireland in Chicago on Sunday morning in what will be a test run for America's Rugby World Cup dream
Nine years after Ireland's historic win over New Zealand at Chicago's Soldier Field - their first in 111 years - the two rugby powerhouses have returned to the US to square off again.
The All Blacks take on Ireland at the same ground in the heart of America, far from their traditional homes, on Sunday morning in front of a sell-out crowd of 63,000 fans.
But this time, it's more than a test match.
"This is the All Blacks' financially most important test of the year because they are playing in the world's biggest sporting market in front of fans they can hook in for life, really," says RNZ's sports journalist Jamie Wall, who is in Chicago ahead of the test match.
The US isn't known for its rugby prowess or interest - the national team isn't even in the Top 10 of the rugby world rankings - but North America is set to host the Rugby World Cup in 2031.
For World Rugby, the stakes couldn't be higher.
Cracking the American market has long been high on the wish list - it offers an enormous, untapped audience that could transform rugby's global reach and revenue.
So on Sunday morning, the All Blacks aren't just playing for pride; they're playing to sell a vision.
"The question of whether this hosting of the tournament would even go ahead was up in the air until a couple of months ago at World Rugby level because they just weren't sure that it was actually going to be able to work in a US market that is so dominated by their traditional professional sports," Wall says.
"And, of course, the main one it is going up against is American football, which, in dollar terms, is in another galaxy compared to what rugby is.
"However, because of the brand recognition the All Blacks have here [in the US] - people might be familiar with the haka, they might be familiar with the black jersey - they are going to have to lean heavily into what Americans do know about rugby here. And it is the All Blacks."
And this, says Wall, gives New Zealand Rugby leverage.
"This is really good news for NZ Rugby here because it means they can bring World Rugby to the table and say, 'okay, you can meet us in the middle on this' and hopefully influence some governance decisions around stuff like scheduling and player load and just the general governance of the game that could help in NZ Rugby's favour here.
"It's a bit of a crisis being looked at as an opportunity, which is not uncommon here in America. This is what this country is about - they call it the land of opportunity. This is NZ Rugby, hopefully taking the opportunity for themselves."
Before kick-off in 2031, the US will co-host the FIFA World Cup next year, and the Olympics return to Los Angeles in 2028.
But there are concerns that, under the Trump administration, some international players and fans may face hurdles with immigration and visa rules or be targeted by ICE officials.
And more recently, President Donald Trump has even threatened to move FIFA World Cup games from cities he deems unsafe, particularly Boston and San Francisco.
"FIFA has come back and said that is not going to happen," says Wall.
Another hotly debated topic, he says, is how much World Cup tickets are going to cost.
"They have introduced this thing, that's going to be maybe something New Zealanders are going to have to get used to, called dynamic ticket pricing, whereby instead of buying tickets, you simply put your name down and then they will adjust the price according to demand, and then that's what you have to pay for the ticket.
"And it pretty much prices out anyone who is not willing to pay some really big money to go and watch sporting events and concert events.
"It's part of the way they do it here in America right now.
"NZ Rugby is using a dynamic ticketing model for this game on the weekend because they managed to sell 50,000 tickets within 36 hours of them going on sale, and then they deliberately held back the remaining 13,000 to test the dynamic ticket pricing."
Just how expensive are the remaining tickets?
"It's a lot - we're not 100 percent sure; they weren't too forthcoming with the details, but given the exchange rate, it would be a lot more than what you would be paying for a test match in New Zealand, I could tell you that much."
Regardless, every ticket was snapped up for Sunday morning's game, with "72 percent of tickets sold from within the US market".
"That's actually representation from all 50 states, people are coming from all over the country".
Wall predicts an All Blacks win by 12 but says symbolically, it's a test for more than the scoreboard. It's a test of America's readiness, its appetite, and its identity as a host nation on the world stage.
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