Haunted Irish fans prepare for quarter-final with nervous anticipation

DUBLIN : Ireland's impressive start to the Rugby World Cup may have broken television viewing records at home, but there were few indications walking around Dublin on Friday that the sports-mad country was gearing up for an even bigger night.

Signs outside pubs near the Aviva Stadium reminding passersby of Saturday's showdown against New Zealand contained those two words, quarter-final, that strike fear into any Irish rugby fan.

An unwanted record as the only rugby power to have never gone beyond the quarter-finals haunts the Irish and has created a palpable sense of nervous anticipation, even as Andy Farrell's side live up to their billing as the world's top ranked team.

A local Guinness World Cup advertisement campaign of 'Think It, Don't Jinx It' - accompanied in one TV spot by Irish singer Ronan Keating's chorus of "You say it best, when you say nothing at all" - has proven extremely prescient.

"Oh my god, the nerves for tomorrow night," said Kevin Arundel, chef and owner of the Chophouse gastropub around the corner from the Aviva Stadium, where the 54-year-old has not missed a game for nearly 20 years.

"I'm nervous because we've never done it and in the last World Cup, we went in as number one (as well). But this time we are genuinely number one in the world."

Rugby is not quite as popular in Ireland as soccer or the Gaelic sports of football and hurling, but interest in the team is huge.

The nail-biting win over South Africa attracted the biggest television audience of the year so far for Ireland's national broadcaster RTE, while last week's demolition of Scotland was the most watched broadcast in rival station Virgin Media Television's 25 year history.

Even its analysts sought to keep a lid on expectations. Ex-Ireland