Dylan Cleaver: ABs take onesie big step in US

"Chicago welcomes the New Zealand All Blacks," was writ large in LED lighting above the freeway as the bus rolled out of O'Hare Airport towards downtown.

Nobody is expecting the US to go suddenly gaga over rugby, but the All Blacks' arrival in the States for the first official test in 101 years has not gone unnoticed.

Close to 300 All Black onesie-wearing fans poured through O'Hare's terminal after an Air New Zealand plane - painted all black - landed at one of the world's busiest airports.

This prompted a number of quizzical stares from local onlookers, while setting what is possibly an until-now unwanted world record for the most onesies in any one place.

It was a curious trip into the unknown for the All Blacks in other ways.

They departed New Zealand at 5.45pm on Sunday and arrived, via Los Angeles, in Chicago at 5.45pm on Sunday.

That curious fact also meant that No 8 Kieran Read effectively enjoyed two birthdays.

The All Blacks have a busy week of promotions and training lined up. There is an acute awareness that, whatever the merits of the test match itself, this is an important opportunity for the All Blacks to spread the gospel of rugby and of New Zealand as a whole.

To that end, they might have been handed a huge favour yesterday.

Chicago is a football town, American football that is, and their beloved Bears were hammered 51-23 by the New England Patriots. This is a town fast becoming disillusioned by their team.

There might not be a more serendipitous time for the All Blacks to shine a light on rugby football.

Iconic Soldier Field, the oldest NFL Stadium still in use, is sold out for the test. Many in the 63,000 crowd will be ex-pats or tourists - the All Blacks charter flight carried around 280 fans who paid at least $6000 for the week-long trip - but there will be a good deal of attention from the locals as well.

The game is being screened live on NBC, one of the major networks and is on a Saturday, with no competing NFL.

Rugby might be a blip on the Chicago sporting landscape, but for one day at least, it'll be a nice and loud blip.