Ireland’s rugby team got a timely boost ahead of the World Cup last week when they were visited by global superstar Usain Bolt.
The world’s fastest man joined the players for dinner in London and chatted with them about the upcoming tournament and also about his own achievements this year.
Picture posted on Instagram by Ireland’s number 8 Jamie Heaslip
Bolt recently cemented his legacy as a sporting great by winning three gold medals at the World Championships in Beijing. He will hope to make history by defending his 100m and 200m golds in Rio next year to make it three Olympic doubles in a row.
The Irish rugby team have their eyes on their own piece of sporting history, with the World Cup beginning this week.
Rory Best told the BBC that speaking with Bolt has provided the team with a great deal of confidence and inspiration, following disappointing defeats to both Wales and England in their recent warm-up matches.
Bolt had suffered a difficult season himself before the World Championships but rose to the big occasion to beat his great rival Justin Gatlin.
Best said: “To meet someone like that was unbelievable. It was great just to get his thoughts on things.
“The big thing, from our point of view, was that he says when he goes into championships and he feels good, he knows he’s going to perform. It’s not necessarily about how events leading into it have gone. It is about how he’s feeling himself.”
Hopefully Ireland can follow Bolt’s lead and have a good World Cup campaign. They kick off their tournament on Saturday against Canada.