Drawn to jump 11th of 12 teams competing, Ireland’s foursome of Mark McAuley (Jasco vd Bisschop), Bertram Allen (Pacino Amiro), Denis Lynch (Cristello) and anchorman Darragh Kenny (VDL Cartello) will attempt to break a 95 year-old hoodoo at the picturesque Piazza di Siena in Rome today.

Under Michael Blake’s management, Ireland is faced with the challenge of tackling a history that has seen no Irish team ever win a Nations Cup in Rome.

Though at times spectacularly successful on the Nations Cup circuit globally, the numerous attempts to break the seemingly endless run of Irish bad luck at Rome have all come to naught.

Ireland is also faced with a marathon competition today, with 48 riders competing in total.

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