Go Black — or is that Green?
There will be split ties in the Stephen household tonight when the All Blacks and Ireland face off in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
Martina will be sporting shamrockgreen while her husband Garry dons the famous silver fern on his left breast, she told the Weekend Herald.
Born in County Meath, north of Dublin, Martina grew up an avid Gaelic Football fan and had limited rugby knowledge.
However, after meeting Garry in 2007 while the pair worked for separate safari companies in Botswana, things had to change.
“When I met Garry I had to learn about rugby,” she said, but always remained loyal to the men in green.
“First and foremost, I will support Ireland.
“If New Zealand are playing anybody else I’ll put my little black jersey on but if Ireland are playing I’m supporting them.”
Kick-off for the blockbuster quarter-final in Tokyo is at 11.15pm (NZT), after the match between England and Australia in Oita.
It will be just the second meeting between New Zealand and Ireland at the World Cup, after a 1995 pool play clash that New Zealand won 43-19.
The match is being tipped as Ireland’s most important ever — they’ve never progressed past the quarter-finals and this year entered the tournament ranked No 1.
But their loss to Japan in pool play meant they finished second in the group and ended up on the All Blacks’ side of the draw. They also lost their No 1 ranking and, despite having beaten New Zealand in two of their previous three matches, are underdogs for the match.
Martina said she and Garry would be animated.
“He’s a fanatic rugby player so it’s quite a serious thing for him. We’ll have a bit of banter . . . but it’s always good banter,” she said.
“Garry reckons if New Zealand has to be beaten by anybody, he’d like it to be Ireland. Obviously, he’d like New Zealand to win.
“I expect it’ll be a good game, a close game and it’ll be a win for Ireland — if so, I might be looking for a bed.”