History will repeat itself or a curse will be lifted for Ireland on Saturday, as the All Blacks of New Zealand stand in their way of a first-ever Rugby World Cup semi-final.

The world's top-ranked nation blew the competition out of the water in Pool B to advance to the last eight for the eighth time, clinching four wins from four over Scotland, Tonga, Romania and reigning champions South Africa.

Optimism is growing that Andy Farrell's Six Nations champions can finally conquer the world after decades of quarter-final heartbreak, and either Argentina or Wales will await in the semis if Ireland can break new ground at the Stade de France.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look back at Ireland's previous seven appearances in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, all of which ended in bitter disappointment.

1987 - Australia 33-15 Ireland

Earning an invitation to the inaugural Rugby World Cup as members of the International Rugby Football Board, Ireland's 1987 campaign got off to a dismal start with a loss to Wales, but triumphs over Tonga and Canada propelled the Shamrock into the last eight by the skin of their teeth.

Co-hosts Australia were waiting at the Concord Oval in Sydney, where tries from Lee Reynolds and Mike Kiernan - alongside two conversions and a penalty from the latter - were ultimately to no avail.

A double from Matt Burke alongside tries from Andrew McIntyre and Brian Smith - who would later go on to represent Ireland internationally - condemned the visitors to defeat in what would be a harbinger of doom for future World Cups.

1991 - Ireland 18-19 Australia

Four years on from their first quarter-final elimination, revenge was on the cards for Ireland at their Dublin headquarters, where Australia stepped out for a tantalising last-eight showdown at Lansdowne Road.

Once again, the team led by Ciaran Fitzgerald had to settle for second place in the pool stage, having overcome Zimbabwe and Japan before being put to the sword by Scotland, but Ireland were on the cusp of sending the Australians packing in front of a 54,000-strong Dublin crowd.

Gordon Hamilton's solitary try and reliable kicking from Ralph Keyes saw Ireland enter the dying embers with an 18-15 lead, but Michael Lynagh left it incredibly late to cross the line and prevent the co-hosts from reaching the final four again.

1995 - France 36-12 Ireland

Another year, another runners-up finish in the pool stage for Ireland, who were trounced by New Zealand in their 1995 opener before thumping Japan and claiming a nail-biting 24-23 win over Wales on the final matchday to seal quarter-final berth number three.

Rather than pit their wits against Australia again, Gerry Murphy's team would endeavour to get one over a Thierry Lacroix-inspired France side, but staunch defending from Les Bleus proved to be Ireland's undoing.

A quartet of penalties from Eric Elwood were inconsequential, as Lacroix doubled the Irishman's tally from the tee while Phillipe Saint-Andre and Emile Ntamack both registered tries in a comprehensive French rout.

2003 - France 43-21 Ireland

Missing out on a spot in the 1999 quarter-finals by virtue of a playoff defeat to Argentina, Ireland travelled Down Under once again for the 2003 World Cup, where in a tale as old as time, they would finish second in the pool stage.

The Irish had begun their campaign with three successive wins before falling to a one-point loss to familiar foes Australia, forcing them into an unwanted reunion with France, who once again proved too hot for Eddie O'Sullivan's side to handle.

Les Bleus hit three of their four tries during a ruthless first-half display, and while Kevin Maggs and Brian O'Driscoll (2) pulled a trio back for Ireland late on, the die had already been cast in Melbourne.

2011 - Ireland 10-22 Wales

Slumping to a third-placed finish in the 2007 World Cup pool stage at least guaranteed Ireland an automatic ticket to the 2011 edition in South Africa, where head coach Declan Kidney would at least manage to lift one hoodoo for the Shamrock.

Indeed, Ireland won all four of their pool matches versus Russia, Italy, the United States and Australia to qualify for the knockout stages in first place, setting up a tantalising Wellington date with near neighbours Wales in the process.

Keith Earls managed to cancel out Shane Williams's third-minute try early in the second half, but Mike Phillips and Jonathan Davies found a way through the sea of green shirts in the final half hour to ensure that Ireland's agonising wait for a first semi-final appearance would go on.

2015 - Ireland 20-43 Argentina

Making the short trip to England for the 2015 iteration, Ireland repeated their perfect pool performance from 2011, putting Canada, Italy, France and Romania to the sword while conceding a mere 35 points in the process.

However, Ireland's previous staunch defensive work under Joe Schmidt counted for nought when they took to the Millennium Stadium turf for a quarter-final battle with Argentina, who crossed the line through Matias Moroni and Juan Imhoff inside the opening 10 minutes.

Once Schmidt's side regained their composure, Luke Fitzgerald and Jordi Murphy clawed their nation back into the contest, but Joaquin Tuculet's 69th-minute effort preceded Imhoff's second of the day for the inspired Argentines, whose star fly-half Nicolas Sanchez also went four for four on conversions and only missed one of his six penalties.

2019 - New Zealand 46-14 Ireland

As was the case in 2015 under Schmidt's tutelage, rearguard resilience was the theme for Ireland in the 2019 pool phase, as they allowed a mere 27 points past them in clashes with Japan, Scotland, Russia and Samoa.

However, 19 of those points came in a shock beating at the hands of Japan, who subsequently topped the section and forced Ireland to settle for a familiar second-placed finish, which earned them a daunting date with this weekend's opponents New Zealand.

Current incumbent Farrell can only hope to avoid a repeat of the pummelling inflicted on his side four years ago, as Ireland were torn to shreds by New Zealand, giving up seven tries in total to extend their quarter-final misery and give former captain Rory Best a less-than-ideal send-off on his farewell appearance.