Murray Kinsella reports from Olympic Park
ROB HEFFERNAN SET an Irish record when finishing fourth in the 50km walk at the 2012 Olympics.
The Irishmen in Olympic Park this weekend will be hoping to move at a considerably greater speed. A visit from Usain Bolt to speak to Ireland’s World Cup squad in the build-up to the tournament couldn’t have been more timely in that regard.
The Jamaican sprinter accepted Joe Schmidt’s invitation to deliver a speech to his players before the warm-up clash with England last month, wowing the squad with his mentality and belief.
Bolt made history in Olympic Park in 2012 and while Ireland might not manage to do the same tomorrow against Italy, they can take another step towards longer-term goals of a best-ever World Cup performance.
(Bolt) talked about the atmosphere and the noise in the build-up to the 100-metres final,” said Conor Murray after Ireland’s captain’s run this afternoon in London. “We’re used to big atmospheres and a lot of noise and I don’t think it will be much different tomorrow.
“It will be great to see the Irish pack out a stadium again. The majority of fans should be Irish and it’s a great time to be playing for Ireland.
“The talk was fantastic. He is an athlete who is on top of his game. He is one of the most recognised and successful athletes in the world.
“We were all a bit awe-struck when we saw him but we dialled into what he had to say. There were a lot of interesting questions asked to him about sport in general and we fed off him.”
56,000 supporters will pack into the sold-out Olympic Park tomorrow for the meeting with Italy, many of them wearing green once again.
“I’m sure if Zeebs or Earlsie can get down the sideline, with their speed, we’ll be happy,” said a smiling Murray when asked if any of his teammates could get near Bolt.
Turning to the more serious matter of overcoming the Azzurri’s resistance tomorrow evening, Murray said Ireland are more than capable of dealing with the latest expectation of a strong victory.
Italy don’t look too daunting a proposition based on their performances in defeat to France and victory over Canada, meaning Ireland are heavily fancied. For Murray, such expectation is welcome.
“It’s nice I think,” said Murray. “When I came into the squad we were a team that maybe liked the underdog tag, but over the last two seasons we’ve shaken that off and I don’t think players are afraid to say that if we go well then we’ve got a good chance of winning.
“That’s not cocky or anything, it’s just an account of how far we’ve come as a team together, in the confidence we have in our coaching set-up, our player group and how well we can do.”
Murray’s confidence is an important asset in this Ireland team and his growth since 2011, when he first entered the international arena as a World Cup bolter, has been exceptional.
There have been many standout moments since, but the win over Italy in the pool stages of the 2011 tournament remains a fond memory.
That’s actually one of my favourite games, in Dunedin with the roof closed, ” said Murray. “If we won we were top of the group and through to the quarter-finals.
“It was an unbelievable buzz, a new experience for me at my first World Cup a and I just can’t forget the noise that day, the crowd just didn’t stop. Obviously the late kick off meant they’d had a few beers and tomorrow will bring back some good memories.”
