It's fair to say that the president of the United States, Joe Biden, had some skin in the game, so to speak, with regards to the outcome of Ireland's Test match against New Zealand at the Aviva stadium on Saturday.
With family connections to the Kearney family, including former Ireland fullback Rob and current Leinster wing Dave, whom he met at Farmleigh House in Dublin in 2016, president Biden has been a vocal supporter of the Ireland rugby team and honoured that commitment both before and after their latest victory over the All Blacks.
He sent the following letter to Andy Farrell’s team ahead of the match in Dublin. “Dear Team Ireland, I wanted to send you my best wishes as you face the New Zealand All Blacks tomorrow.
“I was thrilled to congratulate the entire team, especially my cousin Rob Kearney, back in 2016 when you first beat the All Blacks in Chicago – a historic moment in Irish rugby. Since then you have beaten the All Blacks in 2018 and I know you can do it again this year. Your fans in Aviva stadium, throughout Ireland, will be rooting you on to another victory.
“As the Irish blessing says, “Wherever you go and whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be there with you”.
"My grandfather, Ambrose Finnegan, would always say, "Keep the faith," and then my grandmother Blewitt would add, "No, spread it." So, go spread the faith. I'll be cheering for you."
He then followed up with a FaceTime phone call to the Irish players, coaching and backroom team after the match as they celebrated a third victory over New Zealand in the last five meetings between the team.
